We cannot leave out the credit of coach Hong Myung-bo, who put the team on the right track until Ulsan Hyundai of Pro Football K League 1 achieved its first two consecutive wins since its founding.
Ulsan won 2-0 in the home game of the 35th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 Final A against Daegu FC held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 29th.
As a result, Ulsan, who accumulated 70 points with 21 wins, 7 draws, and 7 losses, widened the point gap with second-place Pohang Steelers (60 points) to 10 and confirmed the K League 1 championship regardless of the results of the remaining three games.짱구카지노
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who took office in 2021, used his strong charisma and leadership skills to beat rival Jeonbuk last season and lead Ulsan to its third K-League title in 17 years. He then took the team to the top again this year and led them to their first K League 1 win in a row for the first time since its founding.
Before the 2014 Brazil World Cup, coach Hong Myung-bo first distinguished himself in the age-group national team. After leading the team to the quarterfinals at the 2009 Egypt U-20 World Cup, he made history by winning the first bronze medal in Korean soccer history at the 2012 London Olympics.
However, he was deployed as an emergency firefighter about a year before the Brazil World Cup, and suffered a bitter failure by recording 1 draw and 2 losses in the group stage and failing to advance to the round of 16. In addition, the team was given the unpleasant stigma of being called ‘loyalty soccer’ due to the use of certain players that seemed to show favoritism.
Coach Hong, who resigned in disgrace due to the failure of the World Cup in Brazil, stepped down from the head coach of Rucheng in Hangzhou, China in May 2017, served as executive director of the Korea Football Association, and returned to the field by taking charge of Ulsan.
Ulsan Hyundai won their second consecutive K-League 1 title. ⓒ Korea Professional Football League
Ulsan, under coach Hong Myung-bo, failed to lift a single trophy, finishing in second place in the league in the first season, but began to show its true value in the second season.
Coach Hong resolved Ulsan’s 17-year-old sorrow for winning in his second year. This season, he operated a solo system from the beginning, and succeeded in renewing his three-year contract with Ulsan last August.
If coach Hong Myung-bo takes the team to the top again next season, he will become the third leader in K League history to achieve three consecutive wins.
The actions of coach Hong Myung-bo, who overcame the pain of the Brazil World Cup and rose to the ranks of great players in the K-League, are receiving more attention.