From the opening round, there are many things to see. The long journey starts with the K League 1 match against Pohang Daejeon in the 2025 season!
Feb 15, 2025
|
|
▶ Pohang vs. Daejeon
This season's K League 1 will open with a match between Pohang and Daejeon. Last season, Pohang dominated the two teams with two wins and one draw.
Pohang, the home team, recorded a consistent performance last season, winning the Korea Cup and advancing to the Final A, just after Park Tae-ha's first season in charge. Ahead of this season, starting with captain Wandelson, he has renewed contracts with all major veteran resources such as Shin Kwang-hoon, Kim In-sung, Kim Jong-woo, Baek Sung-dong, and Yoon Pyeong-guk to minimize the loss of power, while Lee Ho-jae and Ahn Jae-joon, who were away due to injuries in the middle of the season, also returned to add weight. On top of that, Pohang is expected to show even more fierce soccer if Chungcheongnam-do Asan's side crack Juningyo, which was recruited to fill the vacancy of Jung Jae-hee, who moved to Daejeon, explodes.
Against this, Daejeon was a noticeable big hand in the transfer market this winter. Daejeon left a regret in attack last season, ranking ninth (43 goals) in the team's score, and strengthened its offense by recruiting top K-League goalscorer Joo Min-kyu and flanker Jung Jae-hee. On top of that, Park Kyu-hyun, a multi-resource player who played in the German Bundesliga, and Ha Chang-rae and Im Jong-eun, a veteran defender, succeeded in recruiting in all positions. Daejeon remained mainly in the middle and lower ranks last season, so attention is being paid to how much change it will show this season.
|
Jeju, which is in its second year as head coach Kim Hak-beom, forgot all of its regrets last season. Jeju succeeded in reinforcing the net by declaring an efficient soccer that utilizes space while pressing this season. In attack, he added stability by recruiting fast-paced resources such as Dongjin Park, Lee Kun-hee, and Yoo In-su, and recruiting tall defenders such as Kim Jae-woo, Jang Min-gyu, and Choi Won-chang in defense. Through this, Jeju is determined to solidify its unstable defense, ranking fourth (54 goals) in the most goals lost last season. If veteran coach Kim Hak-beom's resourcefulness is added to this, Jeju deserves to fully seek to enter Final A this season.
Seoul achieved the feat of Kim Ki-dong's new appointment last season, advancing to the Final A for the first time in five years and qualifying for the 2025-26 ACLE Playoff, but this season, he is looking carefully at the championship. Seoul has recruited a large number of proven resources in K League 1 this winter, including Kim Jin-soo, Moon Sun-min and Jung Seung-won, and young players such as Kang Joo-hyuk, who turned from a semi-professional to a professional, and Samuel, the No. 1 K-League homegrown player, boast perfect new and old harmony. In addition, Lingard entered the K-League last season and received acceptance points for both performance and star quality, which will help Seoul to win the championship by wearing the captain's armband this season.
Meanwhile, the two teams' opponents last season were 2-1 and Seoul was slightly ahead.
▶Gwangju vs Suwon FC
In the Gwangju vs. Suwon FC match, head coach Lee Jung-hyo, the best strategist in the K-League, and head coach Kim Eun-joong, who led Suwon FC to Final A in last year's managerial debut season, will face off.
Gwangju has a large number of key players of 'Jeong Hyo Ball', including Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Hee-kyun, Lee Kun-hee and Heo Yul, in the transfer market this winter, but head coach Lee Jung-hyo is determined to make concerns expected. Gwangju filled the void mainly with young prospects such as striker Hwang Jae-hwan, Park Jung-in, midfielder Yoo Je-ho, defenders Jin Si-woo and Kwak Sung-hoon, and added the weight of the squad by recruiting Brazil's top Hayes and K-League veteran defender Min Sang-ki, who led Gwangju's promotion in the 2022 season.
Suwon FC was recognized for coach Kim Eun-joong's leadership last season, ranking fifth despite the departure of key airborne players such as Lee Seung-woo and Kwon Kyung-won. Suwon FC is not just a fresh sensation last season, but is aiming for Final A for the second consecutive year this season. Meanwhile, it is notable that Suwon FC has recruited a wide range of multinational foreign players, including fullback Abanda from Greece's first division, winger Ofkir from Norway's first division, and central striker Sambak from Colombia's first division ahead of this season. Suwon FC was slightly ahead of both teams with 2 wins and 1 loss last season.
|
Last season's K League 1 winners Ulsan and K League 2 Anyang will meet.
Ulsan aims to win three consecutive league games last season and four consecutive games this season. Ulsan lowered its average age by recruiting proven young resources such as Yoon Jae-seok, Moon Jung-in, Park Min-seo, Lee Hee-kyun and Heo Yul in the transfer market this winter. Ulsan is expected to become a stronger team by adding fresh vitality to its existing solid power. In particular, Ulsan has to play four tournaments this season, including K League 1, ACLE, Club World Cup, and Korea Cup, so expectations are high on how it will open in the opening game.
Anyang will be on the K League 1 stage for the first time since the club's foundation. Anyang continues to secure stability with most of the K-League 2 winners, including Lee Chang-yong, Kim Jung-hyun, Kim Dong-jin, and Lee Young-jik, while adding to the recruitment of veteran Kim Bo-kyung, who has won EPL, World Cup, and K-League 1 and Mo-ta, a former top scorer of K-League 2. In addition, it maximized its power by recruiting new foreign players to major positions in offense and defense, including Brazilian striker Eduardo and Dutch defender Thomas. Attention is focusing on whether Anyang, which received attention for its strong pressure and rapid attack development in K League 2 last season, will be able to maintain its playing style in K League 1, which will face stronger opponents.
▶ Jeonbuk vs Gimcheon
Coach Gus Foye, who took the helm to rebuild Jeonbuk's prestigious family, will make his K-League debut at Jeonju on his home turf. Jeonbuk is aiming to rebuild its famous family this season, as it has lost its pride by remaining in a bloody competition to the promotion PO last season. In line with this, Jeonbuk strengthened its defense by recruiting veteran defender Kim Young-bin, young side defensive resource Choi Woo-jin, and goalkeeper Song Bum-keun. In addition, Compagno, an Italian national team player with extensive European league experience, has been recruited, and Compagno wants to take the lead in recreating Jeonbuk's unique 'Dakgong' in line with existing strikers such as Lee Seung-woo, Song Min-gyu, and Thiago.
The away team Gimcheon finished a surprise third, the club's all-time record, last season, and looks higher this season. In particular, Gimcheon had different timing of joining the team last season, but this season, they completed systematic preparations by conducting winter training as a whole. In defense, Kim Bong-soo, who played in all games last season, Park Seung-wook, who won the Best 11 defense category, and Lee Dong-kyung, Lee Dong-joon and Kim Dae-won are all in good shape. Gimcheon continues to make a splash this season and aims for the Final A for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, Gimcheon was overwhelmingly dominant with two wins and one draw last season against both teams.
▶Daegu vs Gangwon
Daegu managed to stay on the brink of the promotion PO last season, but it is aiming to rebound this season. Daegu coach Park Chang-hyun left his disappointment behind last season and prepared to start the new season by building a stable power. Daegu's iconic Cesinha and Edgar have successfully renewed their contracts side by side, leading Daegu's offense this season and returning to Ramas, who played in Daegu in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, to help the midfield. In addition, Daegu has made efforts to strengthen its offense by recruiting Chungnam Asan striker Park Dae-hoon, who met as an elevation PO enemy last season.
Gangwon's gust of wind, which was a surprise runner-up in the league last season, will continue this season. Gangwon's main players such as Hwang Moon-ki and Yang Min-hyuk, including Yoon Jeong-hwan, who led the runner-up, left the team, but succeeded in recruiting a net through the winter transfer market. In addition to experienced veteran players such as Hong Chul, Kang Jun-hyuk, and Yoon Il-rok, Mario, a striker from Croatia's age group, and Homariu, who plays for the Guinea-Bissau A national team through Portugal's age group, have strengthened their offense. Above all, Jung Kyung-ho, who was the head coach of Gangwon-do, will make his debut as a coach for the first time after more than a decade of coaching, including Seongnam and Sangju. Expectations are high on whether coach Chung Kyung-ho will be able to become a master coach after coach Myung, and on top of that, whether Gangwon will continue to make a splash this season.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
