Unlike last year, Incheon United and coach Cho Seong-hwan were equipped with composure and confidence.메이저사이트

The Korea Professional Football Federation held the ‘Hana One Q K-League 2023 Opening Media Day’ at The-K Hotel in Yangjae-dong, Seoul at 1:00 pm on the 20th to hear the 12 teams’ entries. The event was attended by managers and captains of 12 teams, including last season’s champion Ulsan Hyundai, Jeonbuk Hyundai, Pohang Steelers, and Incheon United.

A battle of nerves erupted from the beginning of the event. Last season’s champions Ulsan and Jeonbuk strengthened their desire to win each other, and the mid-ranking teams expressed their desire to advance to the Final A. Each of the 12 teams had different goals, but it was difficult to rank them in terms of their aspirations.

Among them, Incheon is definitely the team whose status has risen at once compared to last year. Incheon, which was once in a hurry to avoid relegation, as it was nicknamed ‘King of Survival’ and ‘King of Remnant’, was often in the position of a challenger in K League 1. Although it struggled as a citizen team, it also suffered from wind and waves, such as a power outage.

However, last season, Incheon flew splendidly. Under the guidance of coach Cho Seong-hwan, Incheon achieved its first goal of Final A by establishing a solid defensive line, including the midfield line represented by veteran Lee Myung-joo and Kim Do-hyuk, and Oh Ban-seok and Delbridge.

Incheon did not stop there. Under coach Cho Sung-hwan, the team became more united as the season went on, and as a result, they finished the season in 4th place last season and achieved the feat of advancing to the Asian Champions League (ACL) for the first time in the club’s history.

If Incheon participated in Media Day as a ‘challenger’ right before the opening of the last season, this season they are a little more confident. Other teams, excluding Ulsan and Jeonbuk, are even citing Incheon as the targets to watch out for. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo and Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang-sik both mentioned Incheon first, besides Ulsan and Jeonbuk 2nd round, and Jeju coach Nam Ki-il said, “The two teams of Jeonbuk and Ulsan are heading for the championship. And Jeju is included. Then is Incheon. Incheon seems to have recruited a lot of players.”

Director Nam Ki-il continued, “The director’s expression looks good. It seems like the team has improved, just like director Cho Seong-hwan’s hairstyle has changed,” commenting on coach Cho Seong-hwan’s composure. On this day, director Cho Seong-hwan came dressed up to the fullest with neatly organized pomade hair. It was a head that stood out clearly compared to other team managers. Incheon’s changed status was also revealed in the confidence and appearance of coach Cho Seong-hwan.