Silky Steelers Shatter Seongnam

It was surprisingly easy in the end. Pohang Steelers defeated Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 1-0 in the second leg of the final of the 2007 K-League championship play-off series to add to their 3-1 win a week previously.

As Kim Ki-dong lifted the golden trophy on a chilly November afternoon at Seongnam’s Tancheon Stadium, he became the fourth Pohang captain to do so but the first in 15 years.

It is open for debate as to whether the south-eastern outfit deserve to be champions after finishing in fifth (and with a negative goal difference) at the end of the regular season but in the play-offs, Pohang were dynamite.



The fuse burned slowly at first. A penalty shootout win at Gyeongnam FC after 120 minutes of football on October 20 finished 1-1. The reward was another short trip –this time to rivals and 2005 champions Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i. A deserved 2-1 win was the result and suddenly the Steelers were 90 minutes away from the final. There was a formidable barrier in the way however, a big blue one in the shape of Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

That was no problem either. An 87th minute, slightly fortuitous backward-diving header from Park Won-jae won the game and silenced the famous Grand Bleu.

By this time, the Korean media was getting excited about the possibility of Pohang boss Sergio Farias becoming the next coach of the national team. A Brazilian with success in the K-League looked to be the best of both worlds. Unfortunately for the 40-year old, he enjoys little support in the KFA and if he was to get the job, he would be far from first choice.

Back to the play-offs and it was expected that Seongnam, who finished four points clear at the top of the standings at the end of the regular season, would be a test to far for Pohang.

That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Pohang took the first leg 3-1. Only some desperate defending and a last-minute strike from Seongnam’s Keith Gillespie lookalike left-back Jang Hak-young kept the cushion at a respectable two goals.



It was Seongnam’s first game since their Asian Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Urawa Reds. Tempting as it is to use that epic 4-4 encounter and the subsequent penalty shootout heartbreak as a reason for Seongnam’s sluggishness, the fact is that since the summer, the seven-time champions haven’t been at their best. As boss Kim Hak-beom said after the Pohang loss, “the players didn’t play the Seongnam way.”

Pohang won the second leg almost as comfortably as they took the first. From the moment, Brazilian striker Cleber Schwenck hammered the ball into the top corner of the hosts’ net on the stroke of half-time, the destination of the golden trophy was never in doubt.

Seongnam knew it too, despite their best efforts. In truth, the yellows rarely troubled Jung Ryoeng-syong in the Pohang goal and the visitors could have scored more.

It didn’t matter in the end. A 4-1 aggregate win over the defending champions in the play-off final is emphatic enough.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile

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Reds roll into Asian Champions League final

By the skin of their teeth the Urawa Reds staked their place in the finals of the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
The J-League holders beat K-League champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 5-3 on penalties in the second leg of the home-and-away semifinal at Saitama Stadium after playing to a 2-2 draw in regular time.
The teams also played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in South Korea on Oct. 3, giving the Reds a slight advantage heading into the return leg.
But true to his word, Urawa manager Holger Osieck had his team play for the win rather than throw everybody behind the ball in hopes of eking out a 0-0 or 1-1 draw, which would have been enough to see the Reds through due to the away goals rule.
Brazilian attacker Washington, playing in a black mask to protect the nose he injured in Urawa's 4-2 league win over JEF United Chiba on Saturday, wasted no time in exhibiting his willingness to play his usual physical style.
The Brazilian recorded the first shot of the match 58 seconds in and tested out his new headgear a short while later by heading a free kick from the Urawa area.
It took Washington 21 minutes to show why Seongnam manager Kim Hag-bum singled out the J.League's joint leading scorer last year as Urawa's biggest offensive threat.
After collecting a cross from Robson Ponte at the right of the Seongnam area, Washington tore off toward goal and launched a blistering shot into the opposite side of the net that keeper Kim Yong-dae had next to no chance on.
Both teams had limited opportunities to score as the first half wore on and what chances did materialize were quickly neutralized by some confident goalkeeping.
Seongnam made the trip to Saitama minus ace striker Mota, who injured ligaments in his right knee during the team's final K-League match a week and a half ago.
The visitors seemed to miss the tournament's leading scorer early on, as the three forwards playing in his absence-Itamar, Nam Ki-il and Choi Sunk-kuk--rarely threatened the Urawa defense.
But that all changed in the second half when the match went from interesting to absolutely gripping as the Seongnam forwards found another gear.
A slip up by defender Keisuke Tsuboi in the 57th minute allowed Seongnam to equalize. Tsuboi, who also had a blunder result in a Seongnam goal in the first leg, lost his footing while marking Itamar to the right of keeper Ryota Tsuzuki. Suddenly free of his marker but too close to Tsuzuki to bury the ball, Itamar fed Choi in front of goal for an easy tap in.
The goal added newfound tension to the proceedings and the 51,651 already-vocal fans in attendance cranked the volume level up another notch.
The Reds, meanwhile, lifted their game a notch as they attempted to retake the lead and finish off a team that simply would not roll over.
But just as Urawa's three-pronged attack of Washington, Tatsuya Tanaka and Ponte started to test the waters at one end of the pitch, Seongnam surprised everybody with a go-ahead goal.
Once again it was Itamar who got the play started. The 27-year-old Brazilian uncorked a stinging shot from the edge of the area that Tsuzuki could only parry away, and Kim Dong-hun beat Marcus Tulio Tanaka to the rebound to head home.
The pulsating encounter took yet another twist moments later when Urawa midfielder Makoto Hasebe slotted home a pass from Tulio to knot the score at 2-2.
Washington and Keita Suzuki both had glorious chances to put the Reds back ahead, but both skied their efforts and the match headed into extra time.
With nothing decided 30 minutes later, it was up to the crap shoot known as penalties to decide the outcome of what was surely one of the most entertaining matches ever to be played in the Asian Champions League.
Ponte, Washington, Yuki Abe, Yuichiro Nagai and Tadaaki Hirakawa all scored for Urawa, while Tsuzuki made the all-important save on Choi to earn the historic victory.
The Reds are the first Japanese team to reach the finals of Asia's premier club competition since the adoption of its current format in 2002. The last Japanese team to claim a continental crown was Shimizu S-Pulse in 2002 when the tournament was known as the Asian Cup Winners' Cup.
The Reds will play the winner of the semifinal between Sepahan of Iran and Al Wahda of the United Arab Emirates. The two-leg final is scheduled for Nov. 7 and 14.
The winner of the tournament earns a ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in December. Since the J.League winner will also represent the host country at the CWC, the ACL runner-up will represent Asia at the prestigious year-end club competition should Urawa take both the ACL and the J.League titles.

Copyright: C.G. Williams & Soccerphile

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26 Games, Six Teams Standing

The system has its critics but the play-offs gave the K-League regular season a final day to remember. Six teams out of 14 doing battle in the championship deciders may be a high percentage but without the games, we would have just been treated to the sight of Seongnam strolling to another title.

It is partly Seongnam’s fault that the system was reinstalled. After a 2003 season in which the Gyeonggi Province club won the league by 18 points, 2004 saw the rebirth of the play-offs. The following three seasons saw four teams fight it out but the K-League extended that to six at the start of 2007.

Seongnam finished first again and while there was no trophy, they did receive a consolation prize – the club will only face one opponent in a two-legged clash in November. Suwon Samsung Bluewings finished four points behind in second and are guaranteed a one-leg semi-final at home on October 31. Suwon’s opponent for that game will be the team that emerges from the battle between those who finished third to sixth.

Going into the final day of the regular season, two of those spots had been claimed already. Gyeongnam FC and Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I were guaranteed to finished third and fourth. Only two spots were up for grabs –fifth and sixth.

Of the five teams still in with a chance, FC Seoul were the best placed –in fifth to be exact, three points clear of seventh and in need of just a point at lowly Daegu FC. Such a result looked to be well within Seoul’s reach as Senol Gunes’s men had drawn 13 of the preceding 25 games.

Pohang Steelers occupied sixth and knew that a win at home against fellow play-off chasers Incheon United would be enough. Incheon were in the same boat as Daejeon Citizen and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors; clubs that needed to win and other results to go their way.

A defeat for Seoul was necessary and that is what happened. Brazilian striker Luisinho fired home the only goal of the game after 34 minutes at Daegu World Cup Stadium.

Pohang got their three points with a 3-2 win to claim their play-off place in a game that wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggests. That result ended Incheon’s dreams and Jeonbuk’s season. The Asian Champions struggled to a 2-1 win at home to bottom club Gwangju Sangmu. It was Jeonbuk’s first victory in nine games but it was too little too late.

That left Daejeon Citizen. The 2001 FA Cup winners hadn’t looked like play-off candidates at the end of the first half of the season, collecting 13 points from the first 13 games. During the summer, coach Choi Yoon-kyum hit his assistant over the head with a beer glass during a drinking session. Such an act is not an automatic firing offence in Korea and for a while, Choi looked like staying on, backed by fans as well as his stitched-up sidekick. The number two soon changed his mind and Choi changed jobs,

Kim Ho stepped in. The 1994 World Cup and former Suwon coach is more of a soju man and also changed a few other traditions in Daejeon. In the first half of the season, the Citizen had drawn seven out of 13 games but Kim’s revolutionary concept that a win is three times better than a draw caught on. From August, Daejeon lost five games ( more than it lost in the first stage) but won the other eight to collect 24 points..

It was a close-run thing however. Despite Daejeon’s improved form, only a late run of four consecutive wins had put them in with a chance on the final day and with a good record at home against Suwon, the home fans were confident.

They were ecstatic when Brazilian striker Shuba scored the only goal of the game in the second half. Daejeon should have scored more but the finish wasn’t too tense. Suwon’s slim hopes of catching Seongnam meant that as the game drew to a close, the Bluewings weren’t too concerned about scoring a goal that would have shot rivals Seoul into the playoffs.

Daejeon’s response at the end was an emotional one but the team have little time to celebrate. They have a game at Ulsan on Sunday, the day after Gyeongnam host Pohang. The two winners will play-off against each other a week later for the right to face Suwon.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com

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Seongnam Stutter Then Slump As Suwon Soar

Things change quickly in football and the K-League is no exception. August 8 saw the first day of action after the mid-summer break. It also witnessed champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma defeat Jeju United 2-0 to stretch their unbeaten league run to 22 games.

On the same evening, closest challengers Suwon Samsung Bluewings crashed to a surprise home defeat at the hands of Asian Champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to leave Seongnam a massive nine points clear at the top.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the top six teams qualify for the end-of-season championship play-offs, the season would have been written off there and then. The defending champions were far ahead of the others in terms of points, quality and form. Even with the injustice of having to negotiate a six-way play-off, few would have betted against Seongnam doing just that, just as they did last year.

Then it all started to go wrong. Suwon Samsung Bluewings were the ones who threw the spanner into the depths of the yellow winning machine. August 15 is Independence Day in the Land of the Morning Calm and in the evening, 30,000 Suwon fans went wild as they celebrated a 2-1 win over Seongnam at the ‘Big Bird’ Stadium.

Coach Kim Hak-beom wasn’t overly concerned and gently reminded reporters that his team was still six points ahead and that Suwon was always a tough place to come. The wily Kim reminded reporters that Suwon that had been the last team to take three points from Seongnam the previous October and who, he asked, had triumphed when the two met in the championship final?

It wasn’t looking that simple. After a smooth season without injuries or problems, the fixture list was being a little unkind to the champions. The following game saw third-place Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I visit the Tancheon Stadium on a sticky Sunday evening. The Tigers snatched a win with five minutes remaining as Brazilian striker Leandro Machado suddenly unearthed shooting boots that had been buried for almost two years.

Not far away on the same night, over 40,000 fans saw Suwon defeat rivals FC Seoul 2-1 and suddenly the gap was down to four. It was a blip, they said just south of the capital, and no time to panic.

Bells started ringing however after another defeat, this time a 2-1 reverse at Pohang Steelers. At the same time, in the same south-eastern region of the country, Suwon defeated Daegu FC 1-0. From nine to one in the space of three games, Suwon was on a roll while the champs’ mid-season blip was taking on slump proportions.

It got worse. On Tuesday August 28, Suwon won their fifth consecutive game, a 1-0 turgid triumph at home to Chunnam Dragons courtesy of young striker Ha Tae-gyun, to go top of the table by a clear two points. 24 hours later, Seongnam lost again, a third defeat in four games.

A loss at home to Gyeongnam FC is no disgrace but it a surprise. Two points could be overturned this weekend when Seongnam take on Daejeon and in any event the team is already virtually guaranteed a top six play-off place. Worrying for Kim Hak-beom ahead of a quarter-final against Al Karama of Syria in the Asian Champions League next month, the start of a crucial phase of the season, Seongnam’s veneer of invincibility has well and truly gone – ripped off and trampled on by a stubborn Suwon side.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile




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Foreign Stars Shine Before Independence Day

With South Korea preparing to celebrate independence from Japan on August 15, it is, perhaps, a little ironic that the K-League relies upon foreign players for a sizeable percentage of its goals.

It has been well-documented that South Korea scored a measly three times in six Asian Cup games last month. Departing coach Pim Verbeek blamed the goal drought partly on the scarcity of Koreans scoring goals domestically.

The Dutchman has a point. The top eight goalscorers in the K League all hail from South American and south-eastern Europe, not from Seoul or Busan. The highest ranked Korean is Daegu’s Lee Kun-ho way down in ninth.

The top five can be seen in the graphic above (put together by Sports Chosun). From left to right they are Cabore (Brazil –Gyeongnam), Stevica Ristic (Macedonia –Jeonbuk), Dejan Damjanovic (Serbia –Incheon), Mota (Brazil –Seongnam) and Denilson (Brazil –Daejeon).

Below is a graph that shows the percentage of total goals scored by overseas players. Own goals are excepted as are any scored by military team Gwangju Sangmu who aren’t allowed any foreign players –though their need is greater than most.



Top Two To Meet

Those wonderful waegookins will be in action on Wednesday night as 14 teams in the K-League do their thing on the pitch.

Since the end of the midsummer break last week, two rounds of games have suggested that spectators up and down the southern half of the Korean peninsula could be treated to a feast of fine football, excitement and perhaps even goals in the coming weeks.

It is unfortunate for Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma that the team which finishes top of the standings after 26 games doesn’t automatically win the title, though that fact will bother the other 13 clubs a little less. As the regular season ends, the top six teams will enter the championship play-off series in November.

After the resumption of the league, Seongnam have moved even further ahead at the top of the league and the seven-time title-winners are now nine points clear of Suwon Samsung Bluewings in second.

The two meet at Suwon’s ‘Big Bird’ World Cup Stadium in front of what should be a large and passionate crowd. A win for Suwon will keep faint hopes of replacing Seongnam on the summit alive. A repeat of the 3-1 defeat suffered in the first meeting between the pair in April however, will virtually seal top spot for the yellow machine that has not tasted defeat in the K-League for 22 games.

While the clash of the big boys takes top billing, there is still a good deal of action on offer a little lower down the table as the battle to gain a foothold in the top six increases in intensity.

FC Seoul went ten games without a win in the first stage but has started the second half of the season brightly. A home game against bottom club Gwangju Sangmu tonight provides an excellent opportunity for another victory. Just to the west, Incheon United has also collected four points in the last seven days and three more at home to fellow play-off hopefuls Chunnam Dragons will be welcome.

Asian champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have looked sharp since the break, picking up an impressive 3-2 win at Suwon last Wednesday and will be looking for another victory at Pohang Steelers. The Jeonju outfit traded Yeom Ki-hoon for fellow winger Chung Kyung-ho in the summer and look to have got the best of the deal and not just because Yeom has a broken heel and will likely miss the rest of the season. In the 180 minutes Chung has played since moving to the south-west city, he has already shown the form that made him one of Korea’s brightest prospects two or three years ago.

With Chung wreaking havoc on the wing, the sublime Kim Hyeung-bum returning to fitness after a long-term injury and the energetic Kwon-jib returning to form in midfield, Jeonbuk look well-placed for the play-offs as well as an Asian Champions League quarter-final with Japanese champions Urawa Reds in September.

The rest of the action takes place in the deep south-east. Gyeongnam FC has so far struggled to reproduce its performances of earlier in the season and faces a tough task at home to a resurgent Daejeon Citizen, now coached by old warhorse Kim Ho. The former national team coach saw his new team shock usual contenders Pohang Steelers with a 3-0 victory on Sunday. Elsewhere, third-placed Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I face coachless Busan I’Park and Daegu FC take on Jeju United.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile

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Interview: Adelaide United Coach Aurelio Vidmar

Aurelio Vidmar is the caretaker coach of Adelaide United. He took over the A-League team in February after a 6-0 defeat in the Grand Final against Melbourne Victory.

The 40 year-old, who played over 50 times for the Socceroos, wants the job on a permanent basis and hopes that the Asian Champions League will give him the chance to show what he can do.

Adelaide have won one (against Dong Tam Long An of Vietnam) and lost one (against Chinese champs Shandong Luneng) in their first two games in the continental competition so far and face their toughest test yet on Wednesday night when they meet Korean champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.

You took over the team just after a 6-0 defeat in the Grand Final and the resignation of the coach, it must have been a difficult situation to come into…

It was extremely difficult. We had planned a week off after the final but during that time, John Kosmina resigned and Ross Aloisi was stripped of the captaincy so there was a bit of turmoil going around the club.
When that happened all of a sudden they threw me into the position so it has been difficult.

Firstly, trying to get the players motivated again after a difficult time but after a couple of training sessions, everything went slowly back to normal. I have been very happy with the attitude of the players up to now.

What, if anything, have you changed since taking the job?

It is hard to change too much. We changed a little of how we play our game. Everyone would like to think that it is a physical game and a big part of Australian football is like that but we try to play football when we can. That’s a difficult part too, not having much time to work on that.

Now you are an interim coach, would you like the job on a permanent basis?

Yes, I would. We are going through the process now. The club closed the applications window last Saturday and in the next 3-4 weeks they will be doing all the interviews and all that. I would love to take the job permanently.

Does it depend on results in the Asian Champions League?
I am not really sure to tell you the truth. I am not in the business of losing, I can tell you that. It is possible that being the coach during the Asian Champions League could be detrimental if performances are less than what we expect.

However, we have already come back from the 6-0 hiding to turn it around in a short space of time but there is still an awful lot of work to do.

Does it make your job as coach more difficult when you know you may only have a few weeks?

I’ve taken the attitude that I have got the position for next year. That is my mindset. We’ve already included two players for next season, players who can do a job at this club and I was part of that process.

I am here on an interim basis but it would be irresponsible of me not to take a long-term look at the future of the club.

How important is the Asian Champions League to Adelaide?

It’s very important as I am sure it is very important to all teams taking part in the competition. I am a football person and understand the prestige of a massive competition like this in Asia.

People in Australia are still getting to grips at just how important the competition is. In a way this is a testing ground, not just for us as a football club but also for the supporters. After a long season, our fans don’t know so much about the Asian Champions League and when they see teams like Shandong and the Koreans coming here they will realize just what kind of competition this is.

We are in the competition next year in 2008 so this is a good grounding for us.

You have only played two games but has the competition been what you expected?

Yes, Shandong are a good team as are Seongnam. The trip to Vietnam taught us a few things about what to expect in Asia especially with dietary requirements and those kinds of things. The ground in Vietnam was something that most of us had not experienced before. All these little things take a toll on you when you are unprepared and that was the lesson in Vietnam against one of the weaker teams in the group.

The big tests comes in the next couple of weeks against Seongnam. First, at home and they don’t get any bigger than when you go away.

How much do you know about Seongnam?

Quite a bit. We saw the game they played against Shandong and they are a very good footballing side. They have good players in every position and I thought they were unlucky not to have won the game.

Who do you see as the Seongnam’s dangermen?

Obviously the foreigners. They are the first people to be concerned about because they have ability to turn the game –Mota, Naega and Itamar. Their captain (Kim Sang-shik) is very central to the way they want to play in the middle of the park. The full-backs are quite speedy and they are a very good all-round side.

I know that some of their Korean players are national team players. It is going to be a massive test for us.

How about Korean football in general?
I haven’t seen Korean clubs play football for many, many years. They are very typical of what I would expect in Asia. They are all very, very fit, they work tirelessly for 90 minutes and technically they are very good. They try to play football.

I think that Asian football in general has moved on so much in recent times. I was last in Korea about ten years ago with the Posco Atoms and those kinds of teams. They were difficult opponents back then and they have taken more than one step forward in their development since.

How will you approach the Seongnam game?

We try to get across to the players that every game we play at home, we want to win. We are going to have to be very smart, very aggressive in order to take the points. You have to remember that a lot of our players have not had the international experience that Seongnam have. The players must believe they can win, regardless of who they play. There are 11 players on the opposite side and although they are very good players, they shouldn’t have any fear.

Would failure to win the home game then it will spell the end of Adelaide’s chances?

Only the first team qualifies so it would make it extremely difficult but I have a very strong belief that we can win. I am not too worried about how Seongnam approach the game, I am more concerned that our attitude is right and if it is then we can beat anyone.

Some of Seongnam’s players will earn in a year a similar amount to what Adelaide spends on its squad. Is the salary cap in the A-League a disadvantage, especially when competing against richer Asian teams?

Without a doubt, it is a disadvantage. The cap has just gone up to around $1.7-1.8 million for a year and that is for a squad of 23 players. We can’t compete with other teams in Asia. I am sure that the three foreign players earn more than our entire squad.

It makes it extremely difficult but that is the way the rules are and unfortunately, there is not much we can do about it. We just have to be as competitive as we can be on the field.

Would you like to see the cap removed or the amount increased substantially?

I can understand the Football Federation Australia’s position. The competition is in its infancy and it is going into its third season in the next few months. They need to be quite wary of what has happened in the past with football in his country with the administrators letting a lot of things go and clubs fell flat on their faces and went bankrupt. They want a slow start, a modest start and to gradually build on that.

We have already taken steps forward in terms of having a television deal which is very good although it is only small; it is a step in the right direction.

Last week, Terry Butcher told a Scottish newspaper that the standard of A-League football was worse than League One in England. How would you respond to that?

There is a different mentality altogether in England and there is a different one here too. It is very hard to judge. What we don’t have here is a squad of 25 players with 15 or 16 of them being hard-nosed professionals. I think that is the difference with league One in England. What we have here is seven or eight players that have some international experience.

I would say that if we had to play someone from League One in a play-off, then we could get a result but if we played them ten times, then the results would be less successful

You have a varied playing career and spent time in many countries. Which one left the biggest impression on you in a football sense?

Probably Spain and Holland. Two very nice countries and the way football is played in those countries is very good. Spain, for me, being, besides the PL in England which is very fast but I think the foreigners have made it more appealing.

Are Australia the strongest national team in Asia?

They’d be pretty close. The Koreans, Japanese and China are there, although we had a great result against China in China last week, that has given us a lot of confidence especially going into the Asian Cup.

Would you like to the get involved in the national team set-up at some point in the future?

I would love to. I would love to be involved in the national team. I am still very young in the coaching side of things and we’ll have to see where it takes me.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile

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K-League Taking Shape

After four games of the new K-League season, four teams are level on ten points.

Only goal difference separates the leading quartet –Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, Pohang Steelers, Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I and FC Seoul.

Ten points from a possible twelve mean that none of the four have yet to experience defeat so far this season but one of the pre-season favorites Suwon Samsung Bluewings can no longer say the same.

Before last weekend’s action, Suwon was part of that exclusive club. Unfortunately for the loyal and passionate Bluewings fans, Sunday saw a 3-1 defeat at Seongnam. That bitter pill would not have been sweetened at all with the fact that the scorer of two of those goals for Seongnam, Kim Dong-hyun (see picture), was released by Suwon coach Cha Bum-keun two years ago.

Cha has his work cut out to keep those fans, the “Grand Bleu,” happy. After being thrashed 4-1 by rivals FC Seoul ten days earlier, the 2004 champions needed to bounce back against Seongnam and not just to keep morale high. It was Seongnam that defeated Suwon in the championship play-off last November to lift a seventh title. The cold dish of revenge stays in the Suwon refrigerator for a little longer.

Suwon is not short of big names as four heroes from the 2002 World Cup wear the blue shirt on a regular basis -not least the destroyer of Italy Ahn Jung-hwan and the bane of Spain, Lee Woon-jae. These two experienced players watched Sunday’s action from the bench however; victims of Cha’s quest to find the right blend in his star-studded squad though the coach was philosophical after the defeat.

“These kind of things happen during the course of a season and we need to be strong mentally,” he told reporters. If we keep losing like this then we will find ourselves in a dire situation but we will bounce back.” the coach said on Sunday.

The situation is brighter a few miles north in the capital. New coach and media darling Senol Gunes may not have brought any players since joining FC Seoul in January but he certainly is changing the way the team plays. Fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium have seen more attractive football in March alone under former Turkey national team coach than they did in the whole of last season under Lee Jang-soo.

Gunes is popular with the fans and press who love such statements as: “Seoul could win the Turkish league. At least they would finish in the top five."

The same could perhaps be said then of Pohang and Ulsan and they should be in a similar lofty positions in the K-League in November when the top six teams enter the championship play-off series.

The south-eastern clubs have slipped under the radar of much of the media for the time being. The main writers of the main soccer publications don’t venture down to Gyeongsang Province too often.

Pohang is also a club without stars after the departure of Lee Dong-guk to Middlesbrough and the Premier League. Under Brazilian boss Sergio Farias, the Steelers have the habit of picking up points with the minimum of fuss as demonstrated with a 2-1 win at the home of Asian Champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Ulsan won the title two years ago and look handily placed to challenge again especially as the Tigers have yet to really get into their stride. Coach Kim Jung-nam, like his Pohang counterpart won’t be too concerned at the current focus on Seoul and Suwon.

There is still a long way to go.

Uruguay Lesson

On the international scene, March wasn’t the best of months as Uruguay came to Seoul and won 2-0 with a comfortable, even depressing, ease.

The story was a familiar one. Korea started well, enjoyed possession, looked energetic, lost concentration in defence and found itself a goal down.

The 19th minute strike from Carlos Bueno gave the South Americans license to sit back and allow their opponents to have the ball in their half, comfortable in the knowledge that the Koreans, even with their European-based stars, rarely looked capable of delivering a final ball that was capable of penetrating the blue wall.

With a lack of cutting edge in the final third, Korea often struggles to break the defensive walls erected by the likes of Syria or Iraq but the slick Uruguayans are on a different level and deserved their win. When Bueno added a second before the break, there was no doubt in the less-than-full Seoul World Cup Stadium as to the final result.

“We played with a lot of energy, they were more mature and played more with their brain. This is what we have to learn,” said coach Pim Verbeek after the game.
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“To break down a team like that we have to be faster. We were dangerous outside the box but we never gave one good pass inside to cause problems.

"They defended well and made no mistakes. We have to learn from this game and we still have three or more months before the Asian Cup. If we are to do well at the Asian Cup, we cannot make defensive mistakes and we have to be sharper in attack."

The media was muted in its criticism as there was a general acceptance that the game was a friendly against professional and impressive opponents. The main gripe was concerning Pim Verbeek’s decision to continue selecting Kim Dong-jin and Kim Sang-sik in the centre of defence when the pair don’t play there for their clubs.

The bright start that Senol Gunes has made at FC Seoul has given the newspapers lots of ideas about comparing Pim Verbeek and the man who took Turkey to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup.

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile

2007 K-League Preview: Part Two

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

The champions are still warm from their seventh title triumph that was achieved at the start of a winter that has yet to leave the Land of the Morning Calm.

As they say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and Seongnam haven’t been too busy in the transfer market. 2006 top scorer Woo Sung-young has gone and his goals will be missed but at the age of 33, he has been traded in for a younger model – Kim Dong-hyun.

The former Suwon striker has spent the past two seasons in Portugal with Braga and Russian club Rubin Kazan. Kim may be younger but, as yet, is far less dangerous than the wily Woo in front of goal. Choi Sung-kuk is another expensive addition at over $2 million. “Little Maradona” may not be a prolific goalscorer either but his silky skills do cause problems around the penalty area.

Star striker Mota is fit and ready to show the other marksman in Korea how to score and with national team stars such as Kim Doo-hyun, Kim Sang-sik, Kim Young-chul and Kim Yong-dae, there is a solid spine to Seongnam.

Key Player: Kim Doo-hyun
Last Season: Champions
Next Season: Third

Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Runners-up last season, Suwon are hoping to go one better this time around. The biggest transfer story of the winter was the decision of Ahn Jung-hwan to abandon, for the moment at least, his dream of playing in England or Spain. Much depends on the form and attitude of the Lord of the Ring, a player who always seems to have his mind on his next destination.

Suwon’s midfield is a stellar one with Kim Nam-il, Baek Ji-hoon and Lee Kwan-woo spending the second half of last season becoming a formidable unit. With a strong defence, the forward line was the weak link and if Ahn can find his scoring from of the last time he was in the K-League prior to his move to Italy in 2000 then Suwon could be in line for a fourth title.

Key Player: Ahn Jung-hwan
Last Season: Runners-up
Next Season: Runners-up


Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

The Tigers were toothless in 2006 and a repeat of such a boring season will be unacceptable. It is unlikely however as Kim Jung-nam has been very active in the transfer market.

$2 million seems a lot to secure the services of national team goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang from Chunnam Dragons but Ulsan suffered from goalkeeping problems in 2006.

The midfield has a much stronger look about it this time around. Oh Jang-eun was one of the stars of 2006 for Daegu and if he can repeat his aggressive midfield play this time around then Ulsan will be delighted – he will be helped by the return of the much-under-rated 2005 captain Hyun Yong-min who spent last season in Russia with Zenit St Petersburg.

Choi Sung-kuk’s skill may be missed but Woo Sung-young knows where the goal is – if can teach his new team-mates, a good season should be in store.

Want-away winger Lee Chun-soo is still seething after his proposed move to England and Wigan fell through in January. The 25 year-old is desperate to move in the summer but if he shines before then, Ulsan fans could be smiling especially as another talented winger Chung Kyung-ho has returned from military service.

Key Player: Oh Jang-eun
Last season: 5th
Next Season: Champions

Chunnam Dragons

Could this be the year for Chunnam – a first title for Jeolla Province? The team has been busy in the transfer market and if the new signings gel then the 2006 FA Cup winners could finally make an impact in the league.

Chunnam couldn’t stop drawing last season and if the team can start to convert such results into wins then they will not be far away from the top as they don’t lose many.

Goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang has gone but the club has spent the money well. Kim Chi-woo is one of the best left-sided players in Korea and Incheon United may regret letting him go. Fellow international Kim Jin-kyu returns to his old club after a two-year spell in Japan with Jubilo Iwata.

It is in attack that the club could struggle. Sandro Hiroshi was injured for much of last season but the Japanese-Brazilian is a competent poacher.

Key Player: Sandro Hiroshi
Last Season: Sixth
Next Season: Fourth

Pohang Steelers

Pohang are in serious danger of taking over the “nearly men” tag that Ulsan had to bear until their 2005 title triumph. Only four previous titles stops the Steelers from doing so but two play-off defeats in the past three years – both at the hands of Suwon -suggests that the team is lacking something.

It probably isn’t Lee Dong-guk. The Middlesbrough striker’s contribution to the Pohang cause over the past few years has been peripheral. Without the Lion King, players such as Tavares, Hwang Jin-sung, Oh Beom-seok and Koh Ki-goo have the chance to shine.

Coach Sergio Farias is starting his third season in South Korea and has a solid base but the team still lacks the little something extra to challenge the likes of Seongnam and Suwon.

Key Player: Oh Beom-seok
Last Season: play-offs
Next Season: Fifth

FC Seoul

It will be interesting to see how Seoul perform under new coach Senol Gunes. There are some good players in the capital, not least the under-rated Kim Eun-jung. The Turk has yet to make the expected signings but perhaps he intends to develop the young talent that the club is becoming renowned for.

He will have a honeymoon period of sorts. A top six place is expected and is within reach. First though, he needs to show the fans that the team is capable of playing some entertaining football.

Much depends on the form of Park Chu-young. If the striker, still only 21, can put a difficult second season behind him (though he still managed seven goals) then Seoul have a chance.

Key Player: Park Chu-young
Last season: Play-offs
Next Season: Sixth

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

It is debatable just how much the club’s march to the Asian Champions League title cost them in the domestic arena. 2006 was a dreadful one at home but there are no excuses this time around. As champions of Asia, the Motors have a bye into the quarter-finals of the 2007 competition.

After the money earned from the competition win and subsequent participation in FIFA’s Club World Championship, coach Choi Kang-hee talked of strengthening for the 2006 season.

After Botti left for Japan, the signings have been solid rather than spectacular - Kim Han-won from Incheon as well as Jeju pair Choi Chul-woo and Byun Jae-sub are decent players but perhaps fans in the south-west expected a little more. Still, there are some good players at the club and if the likes of Kim Hyeung-bom, Yeom Ki-hoon and Ze Carlo can show their continental form in the K-League then there could be some domestic happiness in Jeonju.

The capture of the top scorer of the Macedonian league Stevica Ristic is an interesting one and if he links up well with Ze Carlo then a good season could lie ahead.

Key Player: Kim Hyeung-beom
Last season: 11th
Next Season: Seventh

Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile