Ulsan HD, which is seeking its third consecutive win in the K-League 1, has become more solid since Kim Pan-gon took the helm. It seems that it has been riding the current trend by catching even the East Coast Derby, which was the most important in the championship race, with hot attack soccer.
Ulsan won the K League 1 title in 2022 and 2023. It was the first two consecutive wins in the club’s history. Ulsan, which beefed up its efforts by recruiting experienced players in the winter transfer market this season, challenged for its third consecutive win.
However, it was different from the previous two seasons. Gangwon FC and Gimcheon Sangmu, which were far from winning the championship, made a splash and raced to win the championship. Ulsan, which had to chase after, was greatly shaken by the departure of Hong Myung-bo, the current coach of the Korean national soccer team, who showed leadership armed with charisma. As the coach, who was supposed to maintain the balance, was linked to the national team, the team was also shaken.
After Hong left Ulsan and left the national team for a long time, under the acting coach system, he fell into consecutive losses to Jeju United, including rival Jeonbuk Hyundai, and was pushed back in the championship race.
It was Kim Pan-gon who came to rescue Ulsan in crisis. Ulsan quickly completed the process of appointing Kim, who showed outstanding leadership in the Southeast Asian soccer community including Malaysia, as the successor of Hong.
He made his debut successfully. He called Daegu home and won the game by one goal. Although the game was won by lucky own goal, it was faster in terms of game content, and the number of meaningless back passes and side passes decreased, and bold passes increased. The forward pressure also strengthened. It was a game that made people look forward to Kim Pan-ho going forward.
However, at the match against Suwon FC, the team lost 1-2, unfortunately amid unfavorable factors such as veteran striker Joo Min-gyu’s exit. Ulsan, which gave up two runs after Joo Min-gyu was sent off, displayed strong potential by reviving the pursuit with Rubik’s comeback goal.
The three consecutive games against Gwangju became a turning point. Ulsan, which was mired in a winless jinx against Gwangju, ended its three consecutive games with two wins and one draw, ending its natural enemy relationship.
In particular, it was encouraging that Yago, a Brazilian mercenary who newly joined the team this summer, scored a goal. Yago, who scored the winning goal in the first round away match of the semifinals of the Korea Cup, also scored the winning goal in the 28th round match of the league in which Joo Min-kyu failed to appear due to disciplinary action against him, giving him his second consecutive win.
In the second leg of the Korea Cup semifinal, coach Kim’s leadership shone once again, with Lim Jong-eun’s score using set play and Matheus’ score, who rarely had a chance in the first half due to his poor form.
On the 31st of last month, he clearly dominated the East Coast Derby against Pohang 5-4. Freshman Arabidze scored two goals including a fantastic free kick goal, and Yago, Rubik’sson, and Kim Young-kwon, who returned from injury, showed off strong offensive soccer.
Coach Kim said, “Ulsan is a team that has won two consecutive league titles, a team that is trying to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, and a team with the best players in Korea.”
He also gave strong motivation to the players. “As I said when I first came here, I want to challenge myself to win the Korea Cup, win the league, and the ACL final. I think it will get better the more I go. It’s not because I want to do it, but I said I will help and push the players as much as possible what you want to do. If you want to do it, I will become a stronger team,” he said, promising to help the players as much as possible. 안전놀이터
“The players’ reaction was good, too. They showed good performances and efforts to overcome difficulties, and I hope they do so because there is a (positive) reaction from the players when they go to a more competitive team,” he said.
Four games are left until the final round, and nine games are left until the final round. Currently, the team is tied with leading Gangwon with 51 points. Amid the fierce pursuit of competitors including FC Seoul, Pohang and Suwon FC, attention is focusing on whether Ulsan, which has become stronger and stronger, will be able to succeed in winning its third consecutive league title and the Korea Cup.