This winter for K League 1 (Part 1) Incheon United is generous and warm. It is thanks to the fact that he always fought fiercely for survival at the bottom of the ranks, and confidently took off the tag of ‘remaining king’ while surviving dramatically every time.
Last season, Incheon entered the regular league Final A (1st to 6th) for the first time in 9 years and finished in 4th place. As Jeonbuk Hyundai, which finished second in the K-League 1, defeated FC Seoul in the FA Cup and won the championship, Incheon also secured a ticket to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) for the first time since its founding. 메이저사이트
In order to demonstrate competitiveness beyond the K-League 1 and on the Asian stage, Incheon moved swiftly. With the long-awaited opening of the clubhouse in December of last year, a professional infrastructure was built after 19 years of establishment, and storm reinforcement was completed across all positions.
Incheon recruited Tottenham (England) youth Paul José Mpoku, and brought in winger Gerso from Jeju United to put weight on the foreign player lineup. Mpoku and Zerso are expected to form a formidable offensive triangle with Hernandez, who went down with an injury after eight games last season. In addition, it is no exaggeration to say that they led the winter transfer market by embracing veteran midfielder Shin Jin-ho, who has shown off his peak form at Pohang Steelers, and reinforcing Kwon Jin-jin, who has been proven in the K-League, and Cheon Seong-hoon, a youth who has experienced the German stage.
He was also active in ‘catching the rabbit’. Following special midfielder Lee Myung-joo, he extended contracts with Kim Bo-seop and Kim Jun-yeop, as well as defenders Kim Dong-min and goalkeeper Lee Tae-hee in turn. In particular, Shin Jin-ho and Lee Myung-joo are the ‘golden midfielder’ who led Pohang’s heyday in the past, so expectations are high for Incheon coach Cho Sung-hwan. Many footballers also said, “If the newcomers maintain their performances, Incheon can once again look to enter the top 4. It is not a dark horse level of power.”
However, the recruitment of good resources is not directly related to good grades. ‘Even if the beads are standing, they must be threaded to become a treasure’. After completing short and intense training in Jeju Island from December of last year, Incheon refined its stamina and practice rhythm in Chiang Mai, Thailand in January. The second training, which started on the 6th in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, is a time to make up for the shortfall. “We must not settle for yesterday,” said Cho. Everyone has to become stronger, add passion to passion, and always play a quality game. We will move forward as a team that always gives charm.”