‘Will Ulsan Hyundai or Jeonbuk Hyundai win anyway?’
Will the competition to win the K-League 1, a professional soccer league that celebrated its 40th anniversary, become a family battle for the Hyundai family for the fifth year in a row?스포츠토토
Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo threw a vote, saying, “I will work with the determination to go on a new path rather than to protect it.” In response, Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang-shik said, “I will aim to win three competitions (K League 1, FA Cup, ACL) that I have never achieved before.” I hope you can come up to the semifinals.” Gangwon coach Choi Yong-soo, who finished last year in Final A (6th place), replied, “I received a request from Coach Kim persistently,” and said, “You don’t have to worry too much.”
At Media Day held at The-K Hotel in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 20th, five days before the opening of the 2023 K League 1, the managers of the 12 clubs mostly won the championship last year and placed runner-up Ulsan and Jeonbuk at the forefront, and this year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) ), Incheon United, FC Seoul, Pohang Steelers, and Jeju United, who are taking on new challenges at the same time, are expected to compete for the top four.
Suwon FC coach Kim Do-gyun, who narrowly missed the Final A in 7th place, said, “I’m glad that winning is not my goal” and “I want to beat all the candidates at least once.” However, manager Nam Ki-il of Jeju United, who finished fifth last year, said, “We prepared well. I think Jeju will become a team that can surpass Jeonbuk and Ulsan.” Lee Byeong-geun, the head coach of rival Suwon Samsung, who was on the verge of relegation when Seoul was the only team in Final B last year to be ranked as the top player, said, “If Seoul goes up, my stomach will hurt,” and “I hope Suwon takes that position. I can’t lose to Seoul,” he said, burning his will to fight.
The 2023 K-League 1 will start on the 25th with the Hyundai Derby between defending champion Ulsan and FA Cup winner Jeonbuk, and begin a nine-month long journey until early December. Daejeon Hana Citizen, who returned to the first division after 8 years (3 years of re-establishment as a corporate club), will have a return match at home against Gangwon on the 26th. “I will show Gwangju’s unique soccer. Gwangju FC, who said, “I will never become a point vending machine,” will hold a ceremony to return to the first division after two years through an expedition to Suwon Samsung on the 25th. The first Suwon Derby of the season will be held on March 11th, the Super Match between Seoul and Suwon Samsung, and the East Coast Derby between Ulsan and Pohang will be held on April 22nd.
The biggest difference in the new season K-League 1 is that it can have up to six foreign players, including five foreign players of no nationality plus one Asian quota, and one more than before. In addition, up to four players, including one Asian quota, can participate simultaneously. As the number of foreign players increased, the number of foreign captains became the first two in history, with Ilyuchenko and Sejinya serving as captains for Seoul and Daegu, respectively.
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