Another coach has stepped down. Ahn Ik-soo, the head coach of fourth-place FC Seoul, has resigned. Seoul went five games without a win (three draws and two losses), drawing games they should have won and losing games they could have tied. The sixth place faltered, and the fans were disappointed. They had virtually lost momentum. On the 19th, after a 2-2 draw with Daegu FC, Ahn relinquished the reins.
The world had changed. Seoul appointed Kim Jin-gyu, who had been assisting Ahn, as acting head coach. Kim had filled in for Ahn three times this season. Ahn was sent off for two six-minute cautions in the second half against Ulsan Hyundai on May 14, and was suspended for one game in the following match. He was also benched against Daejeon Hana Citizens on May 13 due to accumulated cautions.
Before the match, Kim said, “I’m getting used to it. Humans are animals of adaptation,” he joked and laughed. “I don’t know how hard the role of a coach is yet, because (until now) the coach prepared everything and I was just there,” he said.
Directing has become a reality. Kim now has to take care of everything. His first test as a director. Having played for Seoul, he knows the players better than anyone. After retiring, he coached Osango, Seoul’s U-18 team, and has been with Seoul since 2020.
Their first opponent, however, is Ulsan, the ‘absolute number one’. Seoul will host Ulsan in the 28th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at 7 p.m. on Nov. 27 at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Ulsan faltered a bit before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over rival Jeonbuk on the 19th. Ulsan became the first team to reach the 60-point plateau. 카지노
Ulsan has also won both meetings between the two teams this season. Ulsan is unbeaten in 17 consecutive matches against Seoul (13 W, 4 D), starting with a 1-0 win on April 14, 2018. Kim will need to break that chain to dream bigger. It will also give them a breather from the big sixth-place battle.
There are only six rounds left before the split. Final A is only open to sixth place, but it’s foggy. Only two points separate third-place Jeonbuk (41 points) from fifth-place Seoul and Gwangju (39 points) on goal difference. Sixth-place Incheon United has 37 points and seventh-place Daejeon has 36. Fourth and seventh are within striking distance. Eighth-place Daegu, with 35 points, and ninth-place Jeju United, with 34 points, could also catch up at any time.
The fight starts on the 25th. Incheon faces Suwon FC at 7 p.m. on that day at Suwon Sports Complex, while Jeonbuk and Daejeon meet at 7:30 p.m. at Jeonju Castle. Incheon is physically exhausted from the Asian Champions League playoffs, which went into extra time on the 22nd. However, there is no place to back down. Jeonbuk needs to shake off the nightmare against Ulsan. Daejeon is also coming off a heartbreaking 3-4 loss to the Pohang Steelers on the 20th, but will be counting on Thiago’s goal-scoring prowess. Thiago has scored a whopping five goals in his last two games to quickly become the league’s top scorer (12 goals). Daejeon has played Jeonbuk