Park Tae-ha, head coach of the Pohang Steelers in professional soccer, ignited the “East Coast Derby” final by shooting Ulsan HD’s “aging.” Ulsan coach Kim Pan-gon took out the national striker Joo Min-gyu as a must-win card, saying, “He is a seasoned player, not a senile player.”
“Ulsan boasts the highest level of strength in the league, but has deteriorated overall,” Park said in a media day for the final of the 2024 Korea Cup at the Korea Football Center in central Seoul on Sunday. “I will dig into that weakness,” he said. “I tasted the disgrace of winning the first league six consecutive games this year, but I made it to the finals thanks to the sweat and hard work of the players. I will definitely lift the trophy.”
“Ulsan’s aging process is a wrong approach,” Kim said. “I feel reassured that our players are so skilled,” he said. “It is tricky because our performance in Pohang has been completed systematically and technically. However, we are confident that we are stronger than any other team. We will make up for the disappointing performance of the AFC Champions League elite at the Korea Cup.”
The final match of the Korea Cup will take place at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday. As the name of the team changed from the FA Cup to the Korea Cup this year, the final match will be held in a neutral zone as a single-round match. Pohang, the champion of the last tournament, is aiming at its second consecutive win amid a change of coach. As it has fallen to fifth place with three draws and two losses in five recent K League 1 matches, it is imperative for Pohang to win the Korea Cup in order to secure its entry into the ACL next season.
Ulsan, which has won three consecutive league titles, will deploy Joo Min-gyu for the “double” (two gold medals). Joo Min-gyu scored a goal for the first time in 106 days in an away match in Pohang in the 35th round of the K League 1 on April 27, and ended his league victory with the winning goal in the match against Gangwon FC on April 1. As Ulsan leads the team in objective power, if Joo Min-gyu scores the first goal, it is highly likely that Pohang will struggle. 온라인카지노
“I hope there will be a scenario where Joo Min-gyu scores the first goal. Pohang is so dynamic and has a strong commitment to win, so it is important for Joo Min-gyu to score,” coach Kim said. “The final match is held in Seoul, which motivates the players a lot. I hope it will be a festival site filled with half of the stadium (Ulsan) and the other half with red (Pohang).”
The two coaches also expressed dissatisfaction with their tight schedule. Notably, Pohang will have to play its final K League 1 match in Gangneung on Sunday, then play its fifth match of the ACLE group league (Yokohama, Japan) on Sunday, and the Korea Cup final on Sunday. “We have a lot of players injured at the end of the season and we are physically challenged. We need to coordinate our schedules to achieve a high-quality competition,” coach Park said.