Time is a living thing. The K-League also has the spirit of its time. In the early 2000s, two pillars of “Super Match” – FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung – led the culture. That trend was passed on to Jeonbuk Hyundai. The dynasty seemed to last forever. At that time, Ulsan HD, the “brother of Hyundai” was caught in the trap of “second place every year.” In 2019 and 2020, the team started the final round as No. 1, but lost to Jeonbuk. The worst was in 2019. Ulsan was able to enjoy the championship just by drawing the final K-League 1 match held at Ulsan Stadium five years ago. However, it lost to Pohang 1-4 in the rain and was trailing by multiple goals, and donated the trophy to Jeonbuk.
This made 2024 all the more special. I got out of all the nightmares. Ulsan has finally opened the door to the dynasty. It has become the third club to win three consecutive K-League titles, “the beginning of the dynasty,” in 1983. Seongnam FC, when it was a corporate club named Ilhwa, picked up the trophy for three consecutive years from 1993 to 1995, and 2001 to 2003. From 2017 to 2021, Jeonbuk won the K-League 1 title for five consecutive years. Ulsan won the match 2-1 in the third round of the “Hana One Q K-League 1 2024” final against Gangwon FC held at Ulsan Stadium on Sunday. Ulsan, which has 68 points, widened its gap with second-ranked Gangwon with 61 points to seven points, and confirmed its win for the third consecutive year regardless of the results of the remaining two matches.
Munsu Football Stadium, Ulsan’s home, has been changed due to ground maintenance work. There was Tramau at Ulsan Stadium. Like a lie, it rained heavily on this day. There were no more tears. Autumn rain was heaven’s “winning ceremony.” The scene where more than 10,000 fans turned on the flash and sang “Goodbye” was spectacular.
Ulsan won the K League 1 title for the first time in 17 years in 2022, and achieved its first two consecutive wins last year. It is also the first time that the team has won three consecutive K League 1 titles. It acquired the fifth star in its career along with 1996 and 2005. There is no coincidence that the team will win three consecutive games. A rising club will be able to achieve this goal only when its players, front desk and fans perform in harmony. If any team creaks, the joy of the top spot will instantly fade into tears. Suwon, which used to be popular, has dropped to the second division for a reason. Jeonbuk, which is concerned about potential demotion, had a “tide” to it.
The K-League 1 is an era of Ulsan. It has emerged as a new model for the K-League. For example, Ulsan took a step further by introducing its own F&B project on the day of its home game last year. This year, it opened a permanent store in Ulsan City’s largest shopping mall for the first time in a professional sports. About 2,000 people visited the store for two days to achieve 100 million won in sales. It is still thriving. It has grown into a national team. The team opened a pop-up store at The Hyundai, located in Yeouido, Seoul, for nine days last month. On the first day, the store attracted about 600 people and recorded sales of about 70 million won. The total sales amounted to about 150 million won.
Fans also responded to the move. Ulsan has completely escaped the limits of non-metropolitan clubs. A total of 345,990 people visited the stadium last season. The stadium has attracted 300,000 home spectators for the first time since its foundation. The momentum has continued this year. The average number of spectators gathered at 19 home games last season. The average number of spectators in 18 home games this season reached 18,307, slightly increasing from last year. The team has achieved a feat of exceeding 300,000 home spectators for two consecutive years. The cumulative number of spectators so far is 329,519. The remaining home games will have a coronation ceremony for three consecutive games. The cumulative number of spectators will likely surpass last year’s cumulative number of spectators.
The ‘winning DNA’ was also properly transplanted into the squad. Center back Kim Young-kwon, who won the title for three consecutive seasons after nesting in Ulsan in 2022, said in June, “It doesn’t feel like I’m solo like last year and the year before, but no matter how much I think about winning, I think it’s right that Ulsan is the only team that can win. Of course, there will be difficulties in the process of winning the championship, but I think we can do it enough. I don’t understand why I can’t win the championship.” 메이저놀이터
It was a reality. As Hong Myung-bo moved to the position of head coach of the A-team in July, Kim Pan-gon took over, but he remained firm. Notably, veterans in their 30s took the lead and turned crisis into an opportunity. Ulsan players are proudly saying in one voice that they once envied Jeonbuk.
Ulsan aims for a double (two consecutive losses) in the Korea Cup (FA Cup) final match against Pohang on Saturday. It is also dreaming of a turnaround in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE), which was pushed to the brink of collapse due to all three losses. It will play in the FIFA Club World Cup as the Asian representative next year. The moment it settles down, it can become the second Suwon and Jeonbuk. Ulsan is drawing a bigger picture.