After accepting the crown as head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, Hong Myung-bo Hong will look to lead Ulsan HD to the top of the K League 1 and have a ‘beautiful farewell’.
Ulsan will host Gwangju FC in the 22nd round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Ulsan Munsu Stadium.
The match could be a ‘farewell game’ for coach Hong Myung-bo.
The Korea Football Association held a press conference on Monday to explain the reasons behind the appointment of Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo as the national team’s head coach and announced that he will remain in charge until the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January 2027.
However, it has not been determined exactly when Hong, who is currently in charge of the Ulsan squad, will begin his work with the national team.
Hong is expected to hang up his boots in the near future in consultation with the club.
“It’s because the club has cooperated with the federation and helped develop Korean soccer,” said Lee Im-sang, general manager of technical affairs at the Korea Football Association, “and we will discuss with Ulsan what they want to do.”
Ulsan, coached by Hong Myung-bo, has 11 wins, six draws and four losses in 21 matches, amassing 39 points to sit in second place behind leader Gimcheon Sangmu (40 points).
Having been consistently in contention for the top spot since the start of the season, Ulsan was faced with an unexpected situation shortly after the return point: a managerial vacancy.
The points gap between the top teams is very tight.
If they slip up in one game, they can drop two or three spots in an instant.
After first-place Gimcheon and second-place Ulsan, third-place Pohang Steelers (38 points) and fourth-place Gangwon FC (37 points) are all within one point of each other.
The Ulsan organization and players are bound to be shaken up by the loss of their popular captain.
It will be interesting to see if Hong Myung-bo will part ways with Ulsan after leading them back to the top of the table.
With one draw and one loss in their last two matches, Ulsan can return to the top of the table if they beat eighth-place Gwangju.
Gwangju is in the midst of a mid-table battle.
Sixth-place FC Seoul (27 points), seventh-place Jeju United (28 points), and eighth-place Gwangju are all within one point of each other.
Gwangju’s form hasn’t been great.
With one win and three losses in their last four matches, they’ve been slow to accumulate points.
Their key offensive player, Uhm Ji Sung, who can play in midfield, winger, or striker, left for Swansea City in the English second division.
Under these circumstances, beating Ulsan, a top-tier team, would not only give them three points but also fill the team with confidence.
Pohang and Gangwon will face off at the same time at the Pohang Steel Yard.
Both teams have been on a good run of form recently and are tied for 3-4th place with one point apiece.
Pohang are unbeaten in their last five matches with two wins and three draws.
Gangwon have kept a clean sheet during their two-game winning streak, showing off their perfect offensive harmony.
It will be interesting to see if Pohang can keep pace with Gangwon, or if Gangwon can surpass Pohang and move up the standings. 카지노사이트