Will it be any different after the Korea Cup? With Asia’s best stage turning the halfway point, the joys and sorrows of the K-League clubs were sharply divided. While Ulsan HD, the winner of this season’s K-League 1, has not won a single game in five games, Gwangju FC, which has fallen to the lower split, has made strides. Pohang Steelers will also be eliminated from the preliminary round if things continue like this. However, this is because Ulsan and Pohang have advanced to the final of the Korea Cup, so they cannot make all-out efforts to compete against Asian clubs.
Gwangju won and Ulsan and Pohang lost in the fifth round of the Asia Champions League (ACLE) league stage, which lasted for two days from July 26-27. Gwangju advanced to second place with four wins and one loss. Ulsan lost five consecutive games and failed to escape from the bottom. Pohang also fell to 10th place with two wins and three losses. Twelve teams will compete in the league stage to advance to the eighth place. If this continues, Gwangju will be the only team that survives. Ulsan has been at the top of the league for three consecutive years, but it has failed to develop its foothold in Asia. Gwangju ranked seventh, but it has made a splash in the ACLE. Pohang has kept its hope alive by operating the rotation.
Their different moves are deeply related to the schedule of domestic competitions. Gwangju finished the Korea Cup in the semi-finals. It was even before the ACLE began. Gwangju focused on two K-League 1 and ACLE competitions. Ulsan and Pohang, which advanced to the final of the Korea Cup, conducted three competitions including the domestic league and the ACLE. As the K-League advanced to the final round, their choice and concentration became more pronounced. Although Gwangju was eliminated to the Final Group B, it was far from the relegation zone. Ulsan and Pohang, which advanced to the Final Group A, had different positions. Ulsan had to exert all its might to defend the lead as they were fiercely chased by Gangwon FC and Gimcheon Sangmu. Pohang, which was ranked fifth, struggled to secure at least the fourth place but eventually slipped to sixth place. During the process, Gwangju was able to go beyond cruising and run in a storm in the ACLE. Ulsan lost all of its games to the extent that it gave the impression that it completely abandoned the ACLE. Pohang, which has only the Korea Cup left, also operated a rotation in the ACLE. 메이저놀이터
Pohang used ACLE as a competition for promising players from the beginning. Most of its key players were retained in Korea for overseas matches. An away team was formed around players who lacked experience or time to participate. “We have to play in the Korea Cup final this week, so we rarely brought in key players who were playing in previous matches. We played mostly players who had not been able to participate in matches thus far. It must have been a very good experience for those players,” Pohang coach Park Tae-ha said after the loss at the fifth match. “However, whoever plays for the team always leaves a result, which leaves a lot to be desired.” Ulsan has indeed saved up its energy for the Korea Cup, but criticism is inevitable that the result does not match the reputation of the “K League winners.” Ulsan has only one point, let alone one win, during its five matches. The loss of 13 points is -12 points. In the fifth match, the Shanghai Port defender was shown a red card in the 31st minute of the first half, relatively early in the first half, but the team lost 1-3. Will it be possible to make a turnaround after the Korea Cup is over.