Ulsan, Gimcheon, Pohang compete for lead Teams in the relegation zone try to bounce back by changing their coaches.
Gimcheon and Ulsan players competing
After completing the break for A-matches (games between national teams) in June, the 2024 season professional soccer K-League 1 teams begin competing again.
Hana 1Q K League 1 2024 will be held for 17 rounds, starting with the game between Pohang Steelers and Daejeon Hana Citizens on the 15th.
Looking back at the K-League 1 landscape until the 16th round, it can be summarized in the expression ‘fierce competition’.
The point difference between leader Ulsan HD (31 points) and third place Pohang (29 points) is only 2. At the end of the 16th round last season, the point gap between 1st place Ulsan and 3rd place FC Seoul had widened to 11.
Ulsan fell to third place due to negative factors such as the enlistment of Lee Dong-kyung (7 goals, 5 assists), who recorded the most attack points in the team, and the shoulder surgery of national team fullback Seol Young-woo.
However, with the help of national team players such as Joo Min-gyu and Eom Won-sang, they regained the lead and showed the power of the defending champions.
Gimcheon Sangmu, ranked 2nd this season (30 points), is currently undefeated in 11 consecutive games (5 wins, 6 draws) and is causing a sensation among promoted teams.
Although a large number of key players, including captain Kim Hyun-wook, will be discharged from the Armed Forces Athletic Corps Gimcheon after July, new recruits such as Dong-kyung Lee, Dong-jun Lee, Seong-woong Maeng, and Ki-jong Won are expected to join the team and revitalize the team.
The competition is not just fierce for the leaders.
The performance of Gangwon FC and Suwon FC, who struggled to remain in the promotion playoffs (PO) last season, stands out.
Gangwon (28 points) climbed to 4th place with 4 consecutive wins. They recorded 8 wins in the first half alone, exceeding last season’s total number of wins (6 wins).
5th place Suwon FC (27 points) is also in good spirits with 4 wins and 1 loss in the last 5 games. Seungwoo Lee is leading the upward trend at the forefront, scoring 8 goals and providing 2 assists.
Suwon FC, which suffered from the stigma of being the team with the weakest defense last season by conceding 76 goals, has allowed only 20 goals through the 16th round this season and is ranked 4th in terms of fewest goals conceded. 파워볼사이트
The point difference between 6th place Jeju United (20 points) and 9th place Seoul (17 points) is only 3.
As Jeju’s goaltender Yuri Jonatan left due to injury, Yeo Hong-gyu, Jin Seong-wook, and Ahn Tae-hyun must perform well in order to expect good performance in the second half of the season.
Gwangju FC (19 points, 24 goals), led by coach Lee Jeong-hyo, was once mired in a 6-game losing streak, but is slowly accumulating points after insisting on its unique ‘leading soccer’.
However, the variable is that the club violated the financial regulations of the Korea Professional Football League and faced a situation in which it was difficult to strengthen its strength in the summer transfer market.
8th place Incheon United (19 points, 20 goals) is in desperate need of a rebound as it has only two wins in the last 10 games.
Seoul, where coach Kim Ki-dong took over after finishing last season, has not performed well recently with 2 draws and 2 losses.
Seoul is looking forward to the performance of Jesse Lingard, the most experienced foreign player in K-League history. Lingard has started all four games recently and is improving his sense of the game.
Even in the relegation zone, competition without compromise continues. 10th place Jeonbuk Hyundai (19 goals), 11th place Daejeon (15 goals), and 12th place Daegu FC (14 goals) all have the same record of 3 wins, 5 draws, and 8 losses.
All three teams recently had new head coaches.
Jeonbuk, a ‘famous team’ reorganized under coach Kim Doo-hyun, is in a gloomy mood after losing against Gangwon and Ulsan in succession. We will try to turn the atmosphere around through the game against Incheon on the 16th.
Coach Hwang Seon-hong, who came to Daejeon after leading the under-23 national team, will make his return to the K-League after four years against Pohang on the 15th.
Daegu, where coach Park Chang-hyun took over as former coach Choi Won-kwon’s successor, is in a dark mood after recently losing three games in a row, but is attempting to bounce back with ace Sejingya, who is recovering from an injury. 한국야동