The civic club’s first title was denied, but Gangwon FC showed its strength.
Gangwon FC, led by head coach Yoon Jeong-hwan, lost 1-2 to Ulsan HD in the 36th round of the 2024 K League 1 at the Ulsan Sports Complex on Jan. 1. Ulsan (68 points) extended its lead over second-place Gangwon (61 points) to seven points and secured its third consecutive K League 1 title, regardless of the remaining matches. Gangwon’s ambitions to become the first civic club to win the title were dashed.
Despite the loss, Gangwon’s season has been incredible. If Gangwon had beaten Ulsan, they would have cut the deficit to just one point and could have come from behind to win the title. Despite being outgunned, Kangwon continued to harass Ulsan until the end.
Kangwon got off to a shaky start with just three wins in their first 10 games, but they got back on track with five straight wins. In particular, Gangwon has been on a tear, beating teams like Ulsan, Gwangju, Gimcheon, and Jeonbuk.
After the loss to Ulsan,
Coach Yoon Jeong-hwan said, “Congratulations to Ulsan on their third straight loss. Our players worked hard. I am satisfied that we tried our best until the end. We tried to do something, but it was hard. We tried to be more organized (Ulsan was ahead) 메이저사이트 in terms of individual ability, but we lost in that regard,” he said, admitting the defeat.
Gangwon’s relatively deep roster was at a disadvantage in the final standings, but Yoon Jeong-hwan’s team showed their mettle by beating Incheon, Seoul, and Gimcheon.
One of the biggest gains was the discovery of a monster rookie in Yang Min-hyuk. The high schooler burst onto the scene with 11 goals and six assists in the 2024 season, and has since established himself as one of the top players in the K League, let alone Gangwon.
As a result,
He surprised everyone by signing a deal that took him directly from the K League to the Premier League’s top team, Tottenham. “I want to lead Gangwon to the championship and go to England in a good mood,” he said.
Now, at the end of the season, Yang will join Tottenham. Coach Yoon Jung-hwan said, “I think he has something innate. His physical strength has grown with each game. He is getting stronger with weights and reinforcement training. If you’re not born with it, you can’t get that far. I’m sometimes surprised when I watch from the sidelines,” he said, recognizing his talent.
Yang Min-hyuk’s wish to win the championship and go to Tottenham did not come true. But the fact that he threatened to end Ulsan’s three-game losing streak made a huge impact.
