The East Coast Derby was held in the final for the first time in the history of the Korea Cup. The two teams’ head coaches are already engaged in a tense war of nerves.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) held a media day for the final round of the “2024 Hana Bank Korea Cup” at the Korea Football Center on the 21st. Pohang Steelers and Ulsan HD will play a single game for the Korea Cup trophy at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 30th.
Both teams desperately want to win the Korea Cup. Pohang, which is aiming at its second consecutive title at the championship, is committed to grabbing Ulsan and securing a ticket to the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE). It is also eclipsing Jeonbuk Hyundai and Suwon Samsung to become the most winning club in the history of the Korea Cup with six wins.
“Congratulations first on Ulsan’s victory in the league,” Pohang coach Park Tae-ha said. “It has been a difficult journey to come this far. I was able to come here thanks to the sweat and hard work of the players. I will make sure to lift the trophy so that the sweat and hard work of the players will not be in vain.”
Ulsan is aiming for its first double. Ulsan won the K-League 1 title this season, achieving its third consecutive league title. Ulsan aims to win the K-League 1 title and the Korea Cup title for two consecutive years. Ulsan is aiming for the K-League, Korea Cup double, which only had two K-League titles in the history of the K-League.
Ulsan coach Kim Pan-gon said, “We won the K-League, but the Korea Cup final feels different,” adding, “It is very exciting to meet Pohang, the most technical and dynamic in the final. I will do my best to show good performances in the final and win the championship to convey the joy of winning two gold medals to the fans.”
The nerves between the two coaches were also heated. “When I came to Ulsan, I played two matches against Pohang. It was one of the most difficult teams,” Kim said. “He was dynamic and outspoken. I didn’t know the result until the end of the match. He is technical and proactive in respecting Park Tae-ha and shows good soccer. It will not be an easy match.” 메이저놀이터
“Ulsan has a good squad,” Park said. “It is not easy to predict because the final match of the Korea Cup is just one round. Actually, Ulsan’s weakness is that its team has aged a little. I am thinking that it will be a problem in its mobility. I am trying to dig into that area well.”
“Coach Park Tae-ha said he would target the aging part of our team, but I think that was the wrong approach,” Kim said. “Our players are still confident. I don’t worry about that because I think he is more experienced than aging. I will prepare well.”