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Home|Football News|K. League News|2004 Season Preview
Korean K.League Soccer Season Preview 2004
John Duerden previews the 2004 K.League season
The new K-League season starts on Saturday April 3rd. Without wishing to lapse into football hype, this season should be good. There is a completely new team, Incheon United, who have been splashing the cash around. The new guys will be hoping to break Seongnam’s dominance and stop them from making it an unprecedented four on the trot. Along with Incheon’s arrival the other major development of the close season was the relocation of LG Anyang Cheetahs to Seoul. Thus, Seoul finally has a professional team - Seoul FC. The process was nothing if not drawn out, with both Busan and Anyang competing to move to the football club-less capital city of over 10 million, with all the riches that will supposedly follow. Seoul FC will play in the cavernous all-seater Sangam World Cup Stadium in the north west of this overcrowded, energetic metropolis. There is no guarantee that Seoulites will flock behind this, considered by many to be artificial, ‘new’ club. No one disagrees that Seoul should have at least one club, but surely a city the size and wealth of Seoul could have created its own? Incheon, with a population a quarter of Seoul’s seemed to manage rather well.
The fans! The fans! Will nobody think of the fans? No, nobody will or did. The fans of Anyang Cheetahs have been, well, cheated. Through no fault of their own, they have no club to follow. It is all very well of LG and Seoul FC to claim that there is no reason for the supporters not to travel into and then across Seoul to watch the new team. That is not the point, even if the new club was 2 minutes away, you can’t ask a leopard to change its spots and start following a new team. The Club’s crest which reads ‘Seoul FC – 1983-2004,’ adds insult to injury. However, Anyang will be quickly forgotten if the new team is successful.‘Twas always thus…'. It will have to be, however, as the thought of a handful of a few hardy Seoulites in the 64,000 capacity stadium, is not one that appeals to anyone involved in Korean football. Except, maybe, a few people in Anyang, but wait, they are not involved in Korean football any longer. Please remember that the K-League, in its infinite wisdom has decided to revert back to the old 2-stage season. That’s right, just as the J-League abandons it, the K-League adopts it. Anyway, each team plays each other once in each stage. The winners of the two stages play each other in a championship play-off. With the above in mind, it is difficult to predict placings for two stages so the predictions below are an overall guide. K.League: TeamsUlsan Hyundai Horangi
The Tigers excelled themselves last year, finishing second. However,
the 18 points difference between Ulsan and the champs, Seongnam,
starkly illustrate the difference in class. This gulf is likely
to increase this season, as it is difficult to see the Tigers equaling,
never mind surpassing, last season’s haul. 
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
The champions for the last three seasons are confident of a fourth.
The winning machine from this satellite city just south of Seoul,
walked the league last year and are looking good to become Asian
Club Champions. Seoul FC
The new Seoul team will be hoping to improve on Anyang’s
disappointing 8th last year (sounds confusing? see above). Unfortunately,
the boys will have to adapt to big-city life without the prince
of Korean football, Choi Tae-wook, who departed to his hometown
Incheon for almost a million bucks. 
Daejeon Citizen
Everyone’s favorite second team. Daejeon recovered from
a nightmarish debut season in 2002, when they won only once, to
win 18 times in 2003 and secure a creditable 6th place finish. 
Pohang Steelers
The team backed by the World’s largest Steel company POSCO,
had its glory days in the 80’s and 90’s when the K-League
title went to the south-east coast of Korea three times. After a
disappointing 2003, Pohang fans are steeling themselves for a even
more depressing 2004. A number of players have left, including the
impressive Lee Dong-gook, who has started his military duty and
is now plying his trade for the K-League’s military team,
Gwangju Sangmu. Busan Icons
Busan were bloody awful last year and finished 9th. It was a baptism
of fire for Ian Porterfield in his first season. The former Chelsea
manager survived and is hoping to add to Busan’s 4 titles,
the last of which was in 1997. 
Chonbuk Motors
The Korean Cup holders defeated the champions Seongnam 2-0 in
the season curtain-raiser, the Super Cup. The Motors flattered to
deceive in the league last year and will be hoping the cup success
is the beginning of the end for Seongnam. 
Suwon Samsung Blue Wings
The Bluewings were flying high as champions of Korea in 1998 and
1999 as well as Asia in 2001 and 2002. The former national team
coach, legendary striker and former hero of the Bundesliga, Cha
Beum-kun, has taken over the reins in this dormitory city just south
of Seoul. 
Gwangju Samgmu
An interesting team, the Phoenix is made up of Korean young men
who are serving their 26-month military duty. Intead of big-money
moves abroad, promising young players are sent to the military team
and are probably paid the same as the rest of the conscripts, about
$15 and a couple of packs of noodles a month. Coach 
Chunnam Dragons
Even though the Dragons were beaten in last season’s cup
final, the season was regarded as a success, a solid fourth place
finish, only 2 points behind second-placed Ulsan means that expectations
will be high in the south west of the country. Daegu FC
The team from Korea’s third largest city made their debut
in 2003 and finished next to bottom – a creditable performance
from this cash-strapped team playing in Korea’s biggest stadium. 
Incheon United The newest K-League team will be hoping to have a better first
season than last year’s debutants, Gwangju and Daegu. To this
end, the new manager, the white-haired Werner Lorant, formerly of
1860 Munich and Fenerbache has been spending freely. 
Bucheon FC
For fans of Bucheon, 2003 was a nightmare. Three wins out of 44
speaks for itself and the team from this small city between Seoul
and Incheon was rooted to the bottom for the whole season. |
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