The opening of the K-League... What is the point to watch in the first round of the 2025 season?
The opening of the K-League... What is the point to watch in the first round of the 2025 season?
Blog Article
With the K-League starting faster than usual this season, what should we pay attention to in the opening round.
The K-League season in 2025 is about two weeks earlier than last year. This is four days earlier than the 2022 season when Qatar`s World Cup kicked off on Feb. 19 at the earliest.
The reason why the K-League will open quickly this year is that various tournaments such as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACLE) tournament in April, the FIFA Club World Cup in June, and the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 (East Asian Cup) in July are set to be held.
The opening match of this season's K League 1 will be a showdown between Pohang and Daejeon. Pohang, the home team, achieved stellar performance last season by winning the Korea Cup in its first season under coach Park Tae-ha and advancing to the Final Round A.
Under Park's confidence, Pohang has renewed contracts with all of its veteran players including Shin Kwang-hoon, Kim In-sung, Kim Jong-woo, Baek Sung-dong, and Yoon Pyong-guk to minimize loss of power. Lee Ho-jae and Lee Jae-joon, who were exited from the team's roster due to injuries in the middle of the season, also add weight to their offense.
Against this backdrop, Daejeon has been most active in supplying players in the transfer market this winter. Daejeon, which remained at the bottom of the list by ranking ninth in score points last year, has strengthened its offense power by recruiting veteran strikers Joo Min-kyu and Jeong Jae-hee.
In addition, Park Kyu-hyun, who played in the German Bundesliga, veteran defenders Ha Chang-rae, and Lim Jong-eun have succeeded in recruiting big players across all positions, and are said to have a history of winning at once.
In Jeju Island, Jeju Island will have a showdown with the teams of Kim Hak-bum and Kim Ki-dong, who are in their second year as coaches. Jeju has declared "efficient soccer" in which it utilizes space under pressure this season, and has successfully strengthened its net worth.
The defense, which was unstable as it ranked fourth (54 runs) in lost points last year, added stability by recruiting tall defenders such as Kim Jae-woo, Jang Min-gyu, and Choi Won-chang one after another.
Seoul advanced to the Final A for the first time in five years since head coach Kim Ki-dong took office last year and rose to fourth place, achieving the feat of qualifying for the ACLE playoffs.
Seoul has recruited a large number of proven resources in the K-League, including Kim Jin-soo, Moon Seon-min and Jung Seung-won, from the winter transfer market. In addition, top-rated promising players Kang Min-hyuk and K-League homegrown No. 1 Samuel boast perfect new and old harmony.
Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo, one of the best strategists in the league, and Kim Eun-joong, who led Suwon to Final A in his professional coach debut season last year, will also have a fight.
In the winter transfer market in Gwangju, a large number of key "Jeong Hyo Ball" resources, including Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Hee-kyun, Lee Kun-hee and Heo Yul, were left. However, coach Lee tried to fill the void of young fatigue and minimize the loss of power as Brazil's top Hayes and defender Min Sang-ki joined. 스포츠토토
Suwon also saw its key players, including Lee Seung-woo and Kwon Kyung-won, leave during the last season, but ranked fifth and was recognized for Kim's leadership. Suwon, which is aiming to advance to the Final A for the second consecutive year, has recruited multinational foreign players such as Abanda, Ofkir, and Sabak, raising expectations for their performance.
Ulsan, which has to play four tournaments this season, including the K-League, ACLE, Club World Cup, and Korea Cup, will invite Anyang, which won the K-League 2 title last year and was promoted, to the "Tiger Cave."