In a World Cup year some may have forgotten about the K-League but the 24th edition of Asia's oldest professional league kicks off on Sunday. A record number of 14 teams around the country will be hoping to wrest the trophy out of the hands of champions Ulsan.
The predictions are an indicator of how the teams may fare over the season as a whole.
One month ago, this team was known as Bucheon SK until the company
suddenly moved the club to the southern island. The move has been
met with a deal of opposition but the fact remains that on Saturday
afternoon it will be Jeju that kick off the new season. Last season
Bucheon ended a barren few years by almost making the play-offs,
making the move doubly cruel for fans who have a season without
football to look forward to.
Coach
Jung Hae-sung
Prediction
Will be keen to impress new fans but mid-table at best.
Stadium
Seogwipo World Cup Stadium (42,256)
In 2005 Busan won the first stage and came last in the second. This season, who knows what will happen on the south coast? A number of experienced pros have left and much depends on how the new boys settle in. Credit should be given to coach Ian Porterfield for recruiting foreigners from outside the usual K-League overseas hunting grounds of Brazil and the Balkans. Trinidad star Jefferson will line up in midfield as will North Korean international An Yong-hak.
Coach
Ian Porterfield
Prediction
Won't hit the heights or lows of last season.
Stadium
Busan Asiad World Cup Stadium (53,864)
The Jeonju-based outfit struggled in 2005 and finished next to bottom of the league - surprising as the team reached the semi-finals of the 2004 AFC Champions League. Lifting the FA Cup at the end of the season ended also lifted the gloom in the south-west and
gave the team access to the 2006 Champions League and a tough group with the champions of Japan and China. The Group of Death could
prove to be a distraction.
Coach
Choi Kang-hee
Prediction
Better than last season but not much.
Stadium
Jeonju World Cup Stadium (43,348)
The Dragons didn't live up to their slogan last year and
were more of a damp squid than a 'a hot touch'. Classy
Romanian striker Adrain Naega showed enough to suggest that he could be a real star in the K-League before injuries interfered and the team - usually, one striving for the play-offs - sank
like a stone.
Coach
Huh Jung-moo
Prediction
A fit Naega and a place in the top six beckons.
Stadium
Gwanyang Football Stadium (14,920)
Daegu impressed last season, only the team's third in existence
and for a while even looked like making the play-offs. The team tightened up a leaky defense, but in doing so, also reduced its own firepower. Still, the fact that coach Park Jung-hwan built a
decent team with little money is a testament to his abilities but that means little now and it's time to start all over again.
Coach
Park Jong-hwan
Prediction
It will be tough for Daegu in 2006.
Stadium
Daegu World Cup Stadium (65,754)
It's always going to be tough for the city-owned club to
compete financially with some of the corporate teams but fans still make the, not inconsiderable, trek out to the World Cup stadium in decent numbers. To compensate for losing Brazilian striker Leandro to Ulsan, the team has signed three of his compatriots. However, Daejeon's most important player remains talented midfielder Lee Kwan-woo - a former national team player§—
who reportedly impressed Advocaat but not enough to go to Germany.
Coach
Choi Yoon-gyum
Prediction
Much depends on the imports but another struggle lies ahead.
Stadium
Daejeon World Cup Stadium (41,295)
Last year's cellar-dwellars don't have much more to look forward to in 2006. Being a military team, half of the squad's members leave every season when their two-year stint comes to an end.
Fans in the south-west's biggest city still have the pleasure of enjoying the silky skills of national team winger Chung Kyung-ho for a little while longer and there are some solid professionals in the team but it won't be enough.
Coach
Lee Kang-jo
Prediction
A finish above bottom place would be a success.
Stadium
Gwangju World Cup Stadium (44,118)
The runners-up start their third season in existence with high
hopes. It is unusual in the K-League for foreigners to hang around too long but Dzenan Radondic and Jasmin Agic performed well last season and should be even better this time around. With the talented Jang Woe-ryeong as coach, the team has the stability and consistency to stay around at the top.
Coach
Jang Woe-ryeong
Prediction
Still strong but others have improved - good but not great
season ahead.
Stadium
Incheon Munhak World Cup Stadium (52,179)
Pohang just missed out on the play-offs last year and Brazilian
coach Sergio Farias should find his second season in 'The
K' easier than the first. The team is solid but lacks inspiration
and with national team striker Lee Dong-gook openly admitting that
he is looking for a new challenge, the signing of national team
squad striker Choi Tae-wook for Japan's Shimizu S-Pulse doesn't
seem quite as exciting.
Coach
Sergio Ricardo de Paiva Farias
Prediction
Solid but unspectacular - will miss out on the play offs.
Stadium
The Steelyard (20,242)
Even with the retirement of K-League's record goalscorer
Kim Do-hoon, the six-time champions have a formidable forward line.
2004 league top scorer Mota was on fire in the second half of last season and helped his Brazilian compatriot Dudu improve his performances.
Korean attackers provide such as Ahn Hyo-yeon and Woo Sung-yung
provide more than adequate back-up. A strong midfield, an experienced
defense and the signing of Kim Yong-dae from Busan, one of the country's
best goalkeepers make Seongnam the team to beat.
Coach
Kim hak-bom
Prediction
Strong all around and the favorite to lift a magnificent seventh title.
Stadium
Bundang Stadium - (10,824)
Last season the team from the capital flattered to deceive. This season the capture of maverick goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji from Pohang should stiffen the defense. Fans will be hoping that World Cup hopefuls Park Chu-young, Kim Dong-jin and Jung Jo-gook go all out to impress Dick Advocaat rather than spend the next two months trying to avoid injury.
Coach
Lee Jang-soo
Prediction
If the stars click than the trophy could be heading to the capital.
Stadium
Seoul World Cup Stadium (63,930)
The 2004 champions endured their worst ever K-League season in 2005 - a huge underachievement for the star-studded squad
- though injuries took their toll. Former Suwon favorite Denis
Laktionov has returned to the Big Bird Stadium and his attacking
prowess could provide the spark that was missing. A poor start to this season could spell the end for under fire coach and national
soccer legend Cha Bum-keun.
Coach
Cha Beum-kun
Prediction
Should reach the play-offs.
Stadium
Suwon World Cup Stadium (43,923)
The champions have lost international midfielder Kim Jung-woo to Nagoya in Japan and the influential Hyun Hyung-min to Russian team Zenit St. Petersburg. Former national team captain Yoo Sang-chul
has retired. The club still has a strong forward line with national
star Lee Chun-soo, Machado and Choi Song-guk. The Tigers will fancy
their chances of a successful defence as long as the Asian Champions
League doesn't distract too much.
Coach
Kim Jung-nam
Prediction
Too many changes to repeat title success but will still be tough to beat.
Stadium
Ulsan World Cup Stadium
(44,466)
The lead's newest team is looking forward to a first ever
season in the southern city of Changwon. The good people down there can look forward to what could be a decent season. Highly-rated
young striker Kim Jin-yong made his international debut last summer
and left Ulsan to make the short trip and Brazilian striker Da Silva
showed enough for Pohang and Busan last season to suggest that he could be a key player.
Coach
Park Hang-seo
Prediction
new teams are hard to call - but usually fade after a decent
start.
Stadium
Changwon City Stadium - (27,085)
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