It finally came true.
Through a draw against Bucheon FC on Sunday, FC Anyang succeeded in winning the K League 2 title in the 2024 season and promotion to the top division. Anyang, which had been a powerhouse in the second division as an original member of the K League 2, has achieved its long-cherished dream of joining the K League 1 in its 11th year as a professional.
The promotion of Anyang draws the most attention from FC Seoul and Derby. The two teams are bound by a complex history.
The predecessor of Seoul, Anyang LG, was based in Anyang from 1996 to 2003. The team used Anyang Sports Complex as its home ground. Then, GS, which was divided from LG Group in 2004, started to run a soccer team and moved its headquarters to Seoul. Fans who supported Anyang LG lost their team they supported. Naturally, they shouted “Anti FC Seoul.”
When the civic club Anyang was founded in 2013, he had the will to go up to the first division and fight Seoul. Lee Woo-hyung, a technical director who actually represented Anyang, looked forward to facing Seoul when he was the head coach. Although he did not achieve his dream, Yoo Byung-hoon, who worked as a coach in the “division,” made a derby with Seoul.
Seoul rejects the expression “relocation of alliance.” 안전놀이터 Since Dongdaemun was used as its home stadium from 1990 to 1995, it is not a relocation but a return. In fact, Seoul is reluctant to mention Anyang and its history. After the promotion to Anyang was confirmed, coach Kim Ki-dong said, “There are too many rivals,” adding, “I don’t care because I think they are all rivals.”
Apart from Seoul’s position of showing its particular reluctance, the promotion of Anyang is expected to have a positive effect on K League 1, given that a new story will be added to the K League. It could be a “rival content” to replace the Super Match, which disappeared due to Suwon Samsung’s relegation.
In 2017, the two teams faced off at the Korea Cup. However, it did not attract much attention because it was the round of 32. If the stage is the K-League, the situation is different. As at least three showdowns are scheduled in a season, hot matches are expected. Above all, the day when Seoul returns to Anyang Sports Complex for the first time in 22 years since 2003 can be an issue. It is an event that is welcomed and awaited in the K-League as a whole.