Ulsan HD, the defending champion who is aiming for its third straight K-League 1 championship, has turned the tide again. Ulsan has won two consecutive games since the season opened, but has since fallen into a swamp of no wins (two draws and one loss). The team started with six consecutive wins last season and established itself as the soloist early on, but the 2024 season has seen a different atmosphere.
The fissure occurred in an unexpected place. Kim Young-gwon (34, Ulsan), the national team’s center back, collapsed. Kim contributed the points to his fatal mistake in the match against Incheon (3-3 draw) on April 17 and the match against Hana Citizens (0-2 loss) on April 2. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo was very worried about Ae-ja’s abnormal low temperature. After the match against Incheon, he said, “You can call it a mistake, but you should not make it. He is an important player for the team, and for the national team. All players can make mistakes, but I think it is too big a mistake.” After the first loss of this season’s match, he said, “I made the same mistake over and over again, and I think I should go back and talk about what I’m thinking.” Hong had a meeting with Kim on Tuesday. The choice was to exclude the entry. Kim was absent from the sixth round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 against Suwon FC on Wednesday. It was consideration, not a whip. He said, “I know my role better than anyone else, both inside and outside the ground. I was losing concentration.” So he said, “Let’s take a rest and recover and focus on the next game.”
Kim Young-kwon was away, but Im Jong-eun took his place. With Jo Hyeon-woo’s thrilling defense added, Ulsan took a breather with its first scoreless game in five games since the opening game (1-0 win) against the Pohang Steelers on the 1st of last month.
He gained breath in offense as well. Lee Dong-kyung, who will join the military at the end of this month, is continuing his relentless run. In the second half, Joo Min-gyu, the main gunner who had been waiting for Rubik’sson, scored his fifth goal in the 17th minute of the first half. In the second half, Joo Min-gyu scored a goal in this year’s Asian Champions League, but he remained silent in the K League 1.
“It will explode someday. There is no need to say anything. Nothing will change,” Hong said in expressing trust in Joo. However, if the drought continues, it will inevitably put pressure on him. Notably, he is in the spotlight due to his selection of the oldest national team player (33 years old, 333 days old) and debut match match (33 years and 343 days old), which makes him feel heavier than before. Joo has untied the knot by himself. Veteran players Lee Chung-yong and Kim Min-woo are also stepping down for the first time.
Ulsan defeated Suwon FC 3-0, recording 11 points (3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss). Hong shook off all his worries. “We haven’t had a win for a long time. There have been many lost goals, which has led to a decrease in confidence and anxiety. I think the loss will have been resolved through the match against Suwon FC. It will have a positive impact on the team going forward.” 노래방알바
The long-awaited first round of the ALC semifinals is just around the corner. Ulsan will play its seventh round match against Gangwon Province on Tuesday and then face off against Yokohama Marinos on Wednesday at its home ground. On Thursday, a day after the match against Suwon FC, Hong had players who did not play in the match participate in a practice match with the university team and reorganized their capacity without commas.