Incheon United has never received so much attention ahead of the start of the season. At the K-League 1 Opening Media Day on the 20th, while Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai’s ‘2nd round’ prospects prevailed, FC Seoul, Jeju United, and Incheon, which showed the most active moves ahead of the season, did not fall out as candidates for the semifinals. Even though they fought in the lower ranks every season, they succeeded in reversing the atmosphere at the end of the season, and this is the changed status of Incheon, which was called the ‘King of Survival’.먹튀검증
Hong Myung-bo, coach of the defending champion Ulsan, predicted, “Except Ulsan, Jeonbuk, Incheon, and Seoul are candidates for the semifinals.” Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang-sik also said, “Incheon, Seoul, and Jeju, which have greatly strengthened their power this year, are candidates for the quarterfinals.” Most of the teams paid attention to Incheon, led by coach Cho Seong-hwan, as a dark horse.
Incheon finished last season in 4th place. This is the best performance since 2004 when he played in the K-League. At the same time, they secured qualification to advance to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL).
Ahead of the first ACL challenge, the move to reinforce power was also prominent in the pre-season transfer market. Incheon recruited league-top midfielder Shin Jin-ho, Mpoku, who has experience in top European leagues, and Gerso, a proven resource in the K-League. Cheon Seong-hoon, who was a youth player and played for Augsburg (Germany), joined the team, and veteran Lee Myung-joo, who was a key force, also remained. As much as the best 11, the confidence that it is worth sticking with the ‘2nd round’ is conveyed. In addition, the contents of the winter training are also good, so it is a season with higher expectations than ever.
Coach Cho showed confidence in his preparations for the season, saying, “I think Incheon should be one of the top 4 teams.” However, he did not forget the tension as a ‘challenger’. Coach Cho said, “It is a great honor as a team manager to be mentioned by so many teams. It’s a lie if you say there’s no pressure. He has to overcome the pressure well.” He said, “As a manager, this is the 8th Media Day, and the teams who want to protect and the teams who want to reverse are determined. It will be an exciting season,” he said, not hiding his anticipation.
Coach Cho, who will be tested not only in the K-League but also in the ACL, said, “I will do my best to give more happiness to our fans than last season.” Defender Oh Ban-seok also agreed, saying, “We will make the best season by presenting better results to the fans than last season.”
Incheon is the only provincial team that has not been relegated despite numerous crises since the introduction of the promotion system and has never been pushed back in the promotion playoffs. I am no longer satisfied here. Attention is focused on Incheon’s challenge to look higher than the quarterfinals in the 2023 season.