The air has changed.
Suwon Samsung has continued its unbeaten streak, with three wins and five draws in eight K-League 2 matches that it played since Coach Byun Sung-hwan took the helm. Despite many draws, it is encouraging that the team rarely loses. It secured a landslide 3-0 victory at a match against Bucheon FC 1995. It was a win that made it all the more regrettable that the team had a scoreless draw against Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province in the last round.
The biggest contributor to the victory was rookie Kim Ji-ho (21) born in 2003. Kim scored the first goal with a penalty kick in the 43rd minute of the first half and an additional goal with an accurate shot in the 8th minute of the second half. He scored his debut goal three games after his K-League debut, and even scored two goals in one game.
Born in 2003, Kim graduated from Seongnam FC’s youth Poongsaeng Middle School and Poongsaeng High School, and joined Suwon this year after graduating from Korea University. Having consistently taken chances under coach Byun, Kim left strong impression by scoring in just three games.
Under the motto “age doesn’t matter,” Byun is proactively providing opportunities to young players. A total of four players under the age of 22 including Lee Kyu-dong (20), Bae Seo-joon (21), and Jang Seok-hwan (20), who also contributed to the victory with a net goal along with Kim Ji-ho at the match against Bucheon, participated as starters. Young players including Ryu Seung-wan (21) and Park Seung-soo (17), who joined as substitutes, joined hands to secure a landslide victory. Byun’s choice seems to be somewhat compatible. Although it is obvious that veteran and foreign players lack presence, he has positive side in that he continues to rise with young energy.
Suwon lost five consecutive games before Byun took the helm. That was also the reason why its former coach stepped down early. Considering the current atmosphere, the mood has surely changed. Internal competition has intensified, and with various players regardless of age, Byun has more and more options. This phenomenon can be a big boost at the end of the season. 메이저놀이터
Suwon is close to recruiting a Romanian wing forward to make up for the poor performance of foreign players. With young players already leading the team, if a new face foreign player joins the team, its offense power could double.
For Suwon, direct promotion does not seem easy. The gap between FC Anyang and Jeonnam is still wide. However, if we continue the current trend, we can sufficiently seek promotion through the playoffs. We can now dream of returning to the top division in a changed atmosphere. This is the biggest achievement from manager Byun.