Korean K.League Soccer Season First Stage Review 2006

John Duerden reviews the first half of the 2006 K.League season

The K.League takes a break before the 2006 World Cup.

The season is divided into two. Each of the thirteen teams play each other once in each stage, with the winners of the first and second stage qualifying for the end of season play-offs. They are joined by the two teams who accumulate the most points over the whole season.

First Stage Standings

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
Pohang Steelers
Daejeon Citizen
FC Seoul
Chunnam Dragons
Busan I’Park
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
Incheon United
Daegu FC
Gwangju Sangmu
FC Gyeongnam
Jeju United

All K.League shirt graphics © Mikhail Sipovich www.colours-of-football.com

K.League: Teams

Jeju United (formerly Bucheon FC)

Oh dear – it wasn't supposed to be like this. When SK Corporation suddenly moved the team from Bucheon to the southern island, it was not expected that the ever dwindling number of new fans would witness defeat after defeat as the team spent most of the time rooted to the bottom of the league.

Best Player – Goalkeeper Cho Jun-ho made the odd mistake but is still one of the better shot-stoppers in the league.

Stadium
Jeju World Cup Stadium (42,256)

Busan I'Park

It really has been a stage of two halves for Busan who started off with Ian Porterfield in charge and on the way to setting a new record for games without a win. The Scot resigned after game 21, leaving Kim Pan-gon to take over and instigate a remarkable turnaround.

The defence continued to concede goals but the strikers suddenly started to score and prompted by the revitalized Bobo in midfield, the team won four on the trot to move into the top half of the table.

Best Player – Bobo was a revelation in the second half of the stage.

Stadium
Busan Asiad World Cup Stadium (53,864)

Chonbuk (Jeonbuk) Hyundai Motors - VIVA 2005

It has been a decent first half for the Motors who have improved on last season at the same time as performing reasonably well in the Asian Champions League.

The arrest of Hyundai Motors chief Chung Mung-koo recently for financial irregularities has meant that the club has been told to cut costs and even tried to withdraw from the continental competition until they found out that the penalty for doing so would be more than their expected costs.

On the pitch Kim Hyeong-beom has shown that he is a promising prospect while former Ulsan bad boy Ze Carlos looked impressive except for the time he was banned for four games after giving a rude gesture to the away supporters during a goal celebration.

Best Player – Kim Hyeong-beom has a bright future.

Stadium
Jeonju World Cup Stadium (42,256)

Chunnam Dragons

What to say of the south-westerners? How is it possible to draw ten games in a thirteen game stage?

Everyone expected that former Romanian international Adrian Naega would be the one breathing fire in Gwangyang along with new strike partner Sandro Hiroshi.

The former Daegu star looked good and scored twice in the first three games but was soon injured and the European seems to be in 'difficult second season' mode.

Best Player – Lee Kwang-rae has helped out in attack to good effect.

Stadium
Gwanyang Football Stadium (14,920)

Daegu FC

It's been a disappointing season so far for the south-eastern team who hinted last year that they had what it takes to challenge at the other end of the table.

The loss of Sandro Hiroshi to Chunnam has hit the team hard and it has struggle to score in his absence.

Best Player – With Daegu not scoring too many goals, it is a good thing that Kim Chu-hwan is in defence.

Stadium
Daegu World Cup Stadium (65,754)

Daejeon Citizen

It was a surprisingly good first stage for the Citizen who lost striker Leandro to Ulsan at the start of the season. Few would have expected the team to finish six points above the champions though it should be said that only three points separate fourth and thirteenth.

It wasn't the most exciting of times for fans in the central city but it never is and they will console themselves by looking down on the majority of their rivals.

Best Player – Bae Ki-jong – the 22-year-old has come out of nowhere to become the league's joint second top scorer with six goals.

Stadium
Daejeon World Cup Stadium (41,295)

Gwangju Samgmu

It's the same old story for the military outfit as it struggles season after season. The military team has enjoyed a reasonable first stage - a testament to the coaching abilities of Lee Kang-jo.

Taking a team that is not able to buy players to within three points of fourth place is not a bad achievement.

Best Player - International winger Chung Kyung-ho is a class act, though he should score more.

Stadium
Gwangju World Cup Stadium (44,118)

Incheon United

Who would have thought that the participants in last season's championship play-off would finished ninth and tenth?

Like many teams, Incheon have struggled to score and it is lucky that their movie has already been filmed. ‘The Miracle of 2005' is set to hit Korean movie theaters in June but at the team hasn't provided the best promotional campaign.

Best Player - Noh Jong-keon has looked solid in the middle

Stadium
Incheon Munhak World Cup Stadium (52,179)

Pohang Steelers

Like the winners, the south-eastern team also lost their striker as Lee Dong-guk went down injured and out of the World Cup but even then the Steelers were a distant second to Seongnam.

The team under Sergio Farias has performed well sans the Lion King with Koh Ki-koo and Taveres impressing and the three-time champions can look forward to the second stage with some optimism.

Best Player - Despite missing almost half the stage and the World Cup through injury, Lee Dong-guk was on fire.

Stadium
The Steelyard (20,242)

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

The best team, the best players and the best tactics equal the best position. Still, Kim Hak-beom and his boys must be a bit shocked at the way their challengers fell away.

Even the loss of Mota didn't slow the Seongnam juggernaut with Woo Sung-yong and Dudu doing fine in front of goal. The defence was solid and the midfield active - a very good all round performance.

Best Player - Kim Doo-heon - if it wasn't for Park Ji-sung, the midfielder would impress at the World Cup.

Stadium
Bundang Stadium - (10,824)

FC Seoul

It hasn't been a time to remember for FC Seoul fans despite the 5-2 thrashing of Busan I'Park on Children's Day. Prior to that victory, under-fire coach Lee Jang-soo had seen, along with the suffering supporters, the team score just once in seven games.

With German bound talent such as Park Chu-young, Baek Ji-hoon, Kim Dong-jin as well as the mercurial Ricardo in midfield, it was a poor, poor season for the capital dwellers.

Best Player - Kim Byung-ji is solid in goal although he gives the opposite impression sometimes.

Stadium
Seoul World Cup Stadium (63,930)

Suwon Samsung Blue Wings

Another poor stage for the star-studded 2004 champions with pressure mounting on Cha Bum-keun's shoulders with every lacklustre performance and defeat.

It's hard to blame the loyal Suwon fans for refusing to attend the last two games in protest.

The prospect of the coach spending a month in Germany as a TV commentator has not been greeted warmly by the fans who are tired of seeing the team fail to challenge at the top.

Best Player - Lee Jang-soo looked good.

Stadium
Suwon World Cup Stadium (43,923)

Ulsan Hyundai Horangi

What can be said about the champions? The star-studded team may be rueing decisions to let Hyun Yong-min and Kim Jung-woo go to Russia and Japan respectively as the team is a shadow of the one that stormed to the title last season.

Last season's top scorer Machado can't find the net to save his life and with ever-changing goalkeepers making elementary mistakes, there is much work for coach of Korea's 1986 World Cup team, Kim Jung-nam to do.

Best Player - Gets excitable but Lee Ho can become a very good midfielder.

Stadium
Ulsan World Cup Stadium (44,466)

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