FC Anyang, which confirmed its promotion to the K League 1 next year with the victory of the 2024 season of the professional soccer K League 2 on the 2nd, was a difficult team to predict as a No. 1 candidate before the opening of the season.
Suwon Samsung, the “traditional master” of professional football, which once commanded the first division, was demoted and shook the K League 2 landscape, and attention was paid to Seoul E-Land, which recruited a large number of K-League 1 main players, and Busan I-Park, which missed promotion by a short distance last season.
Anyang, which finished sixth last season, had to re-establish its leadership as head coach Lee Woo-hyung moved to the technical director and his head coach Yoo Byung-hoon took the helm this season.
Coach Yoo was a founding member of Anyang, who had a long experience as a second-division coach and was a coach for the U-19 national team, but his leadership was questioned because it was his first season as a professional head coach.
However, coach Yoo, who knew the team better than anyone else by experiencing Anyang as both a player and a coach, became the ‘winning head coach’ in his first year.
Coach Yoo, who values team work, led the lead by blowing the “challenger spirit” into the players throughout the season, and actively accepted the players’ opinions and created a “strong Anyang” together.
In terms of performance, the team sought to balance offense and defense through short and concise passes and strong defense, claiming that it would confuse the opponent by repeatedly gathering and unfolding quickly and freely.
There was no recruitment in the squad that could be called a “big name,” but Anyang filled up the real players to lay the foundation for promotion.
Matheus, a Brazilian striker who was recruited ahead of this season, is considered the top contributor as he is responsible for the most goals scored (7 goals) and assists (11 goals) in his team.
In particular, Matheus, who is on the verge of becoming the king of assists as he ranks first in the league, signed a two-year contract this summer, which was drawing attention from many teams, and is expected to play in Anyang uniforms in the first division.
Striker Kim Un, who became a K Leaguer at the age of 30 after playing in the semi-professional K3 and K4 leagues, settled on the professional stage with four goals and two assists, while midfielder Lee Young-jik, a former North Korean national team player, and veteran center back Kim Young-chan and goalkeeper Kim Da-sol all took the lead to help. 토토사이트
Striker Yoo Jeong-wan, who moved from Seoul E-Land amid expectations, returned after a long absence due to injury and led the team to solidify at the last minute.
On top of that, midfielder Kim Jung-hyun, the mainstay of the existing team, Brazilian winger Yago, captain and key center back Lee Chang-yong, and multi-player Kim Dong-jin formed a strong “one-team” to solve Anyang’s long-cherished dream for more than a decade.
Coach Yoo is the fifth leader to win the K League 2 in his debut season after Park Dong-hyuk (Asan Mugunghwa) in 2018, Kim Tae-wan (Kim Cheon Sang-mu) in 2021, Lee Jung-hyo (Gwangju FC) in 2022, and Jung Jung-yong (Kim Cheon) in 2023.