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Home|Football News|K. League News|2004|2005 Season Preview
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Korean K.League Soccer Season Preview 2005
John Duerden previews the 2005 K.League seasonThe 23rd K-League season is about to kick-off and as in any country around the world, hopes are high before the new season begins. There has been a decent amount of transfer activity over the past few months and now is the time for young and old players alike to impress in the last full season 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. The predictions are an indicator of how the teams may fare over the season as a whole.
K.League: TeamsBucheon FC
The 'Most Improved Team' award goes to the city squeezed between
Incheon and Seoul. Only a long-suffering fan of Bucheon could explain
exactly how long and deep the time at the bottom of the K-League's
rankings has been. Coach Jong Hae-song has turned the team around
and missing out on the play-offs by one point many have been heartbreaking
for the fans but it marks a truly impressive season for Bucheon,
success built on a rock-solid defence. If Jong can add a little
more firepower in attack then there could be some exciting times
ahead. Busan I'Park
It really was a season of two halves on the south coast. Ian Porterfield's
men shocked the rest of the league by winning the first stage, losing
only once. With the club's impressive march to the semi-finals
of the AFC Champions League, all was rosy in the second city.
The first stage win guaranteed a place in the end of season play-offs
and gave some leeway to focus on the continental competition but
a first-leg 5-0 home defeat at the hands of the bane of Korean football,
Al Ittihad, knocked the wind out of the sails of the seaside team.
Nine defeats, three draws and no wins meant that for the second
time in two years since the two-stage season was adopted, the winners
of the first phase finished bottom of the second. It was always
going to be a danger that the losing habit would continue into the
play-offs and so it proved as Incheon United travelled to Busan
and won 2-0. 
Chonbuk Motors - VIVA 2005
2005 was a real disaster for the 2003 FA Cup Winners. It's difficult
to imagine now but the Motors were contesting the 2004 AFC Champions
League semi-final with Asian powerhouse Al Ittihad and the Saudis
needed a last-minute winner to take the tie and to inflict a defeat
on the south-western club that it seemingly has yet to recover from.
The next-to-bottom overall finish tells its own story but four wins
and a goal difference of minus 15 add to the horror somewhat. 
Chunnam Dragons
The fact that the Dragons finished the highest of the three south-western
teams will be of scant consolation to a club that was expected to
be challenging for a place in the play-offs which is what happened
the season before. The capture of Adrian Naega seemed to be a masterstroke
as the classy Romanian striker scored a hat-trick in the opening
day of the season. However, that 4-1 win was the high point for
fans in the port city of Gwangyang still coming to terms with the
departure of talismanic international midfielder Kim Nam-il to Suwon.
Daegu FC
Hopes were high in the third-biggest city that Daegu, only in their
third ever season, would establish themselves in the top half of
the table. They did, kind of, despite the eighth place finish. The
first stage was a total disaster for the team. It started with a
4-1 defeat at Chunnam and didn't get much better. The second stage
was a different story however, as with five games left, Park Jong-hwan's
team were in pole position. Japanese-Brazilian Sandro Hiroshi had
a successful first season in the Land of the Morning calm getting
on the scoresheet ten times. 
Daejeon Citizen
A solid mid-table finish for the Citizen who, if they could turn
a myriad of draws into wins would be title challengers. However,
the club's loyal fans won't be too disappointed as the team is not
the most flush in the country. A total of 19 goals scored in 24
games shows where the team's weakness is as the defence's proud
total of 20 conceded demonstrates the strength as well as the quality
of the club's fans. 
Gwangju Samgmu
Every season is always a difficult season for the league's military
team. Sangmu take professional players for two seasons during their
military duty. While good players do arrive in the biggest city
in the south-west, for example Lee Dong-gook in 2004 and tricky
attacker Chung Kyung-ho last season, half the squad leaves and a
new batch comes in every season, making it tough to find any continuity.
The team is also tough but fair according to many newspapers as
the club usually wins any Fair Play award that is to be had. An
impressive 5-3 away win at FC Seoul early in the season was as good
as it got for the small number of fans who follow the team and a
swift return to the bottom soon beckoned. 
Incheon United
It was a cruel ending for United after the team collected more
points than anybody else during the regular season but had to be
content with the runners-up spot. However, Coach Jang Woe-ryoeng
will be delighted with his players who enjoyed, what must be remembered,
is only their second season in the K-League. Even Incheon's low
point, the 5-1 defeat in the first leg of the final, was tough luck
as the hosts enjoyed more possession than Ulsan but were caught
time and again by a series of deadly sucker punches. If the team
can keep hold of impressive foreigners like Dzenan Radoncic and
Jasmin Agic for next season, Incheon can establish themselves as
a force in the K-League for years to come. 
Pohang Steelers
The Steelers were always hovering about the top echelons of the
table but were rarely convincing and failed to give the impression
that they were made of the stuff of champions are made of. International
striker Lee Dong-gook was unable to replicate the kind of skills
in the red and black Pohang shirt that he produced on a more regular
basis for the national team and the release on loan of top scorer
Da Silva to Busan I'Park midway through the season didn't help.
Brazilian coach Sergio Farias, if he stays, will be stronger for
his experience of his first season and will have to introduce more
creativity and potency in attack next year. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
For the second half of the season, the title looked to be Seongnam's
but the play-offs came at the wrong time for the six-time champions.
After a disappointing 2004, the Chunma started the first stage slowly
but their season came alive with the capture of Brazilian sharpshooter
Mota in the mid-season break. The 2004 K-League top scorer joined
Sporting Lisbon but his break by the Atlantic didn't turn out as
planned and he was tempted back by Seongnam to link up with the
2003 top scorer Kim Do-hoon. The two got on like a house on fire
and scored eight goals between them in the first two games, including
a 4-2 defeat of Incheon. The team jumped into top spot and rarely
left for the whole of the second stage. However, injuries to Kim
Do-hoon and a suspension to Mota weakened the side for the visit
of Ulsan and the rest, as they say, is history. FC Seoul
A disappointing finish to the year for the capital outfit which
flattered to deceive throughout the season. A 5-3 defeat at home
at the hands of lowly Gwangju Sangmu showed the team's defensive
frailties for all to see. After being expected to challenge for
the title, an overall position of sixth will be unacceptable but
there were a few bright sparks. The chief of which was Park Chu-young,
the hugely popular youngster who capped off an excellent debut year
by finishing the regular season as top scorer. With national team
wing-back Kim Dong-jin in the ranks as well as the promising Baek
Ji-hoon in midfield, FC Seoul will be hoping for better things next
year. 
Suwon Samsung Blue Wings
Ninth place overall is the club's worst-ever season and unsurprisingly,
the Grand Bleu', the team's passionate followers are none too pleased
as a succession of lacklustre performances ensured that last season's
championship win seems a long time ago. Injuries to stars such as
Kim Nam-il, Nadson, Kim Dae-ui and Song Chong-guk, all players that
would walk into any other K-League side, didn't help as they players
couldn't walk for much of the season and international call-ups
were a pain. However, Real Suwon' and coach Cha Bum-keun went into
the season claiming that Suwon would win every tournament it entered
í suffice to say that eight defeats and only six wins, spoiled that
plan. 
Ulsan Hyundai Horangi
It's been nine long years on the south-east coast for fans
of the Tigers. 1996 was the last time the K-League trophy made the
long journey to the gritty Hyundai-built coastal city. During that
time, the prize has been within reach a number of times but the
team stumbled at the final moment. 
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