Park Yong-woo moves to UAE after 8th game of the season
Crisis after transfer, including first home loss of the season
Defending K League 1 champions Ulsan Hyundai are not what they used to be. After the departure of central midfielder Park Yong-woo, it will be interesting to see if the faltering Ulsan team can regain its early-season form.
Until early last month, 카지노사이트 Ulsan was a force to be reckoned with. Ulsan led the way with only two losses through Round 16. They also won five straight games from rounds 17 to 21. Ulsan was so dominant that there was even talk of them winning the league early.
Then something happened. Park Yong-woo, who was coordinating the midfield, moved to Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After sparking a racism controversy when he compared his dark-skinned teammate Lee Myung-jae to Sasalak, a Thai left fullback who played for Jeonbuk Hyundai, Park left the K League a month after the controversy broke.
Park wore the captain’s armband in his farewell game against the Pohang Steelers on March 8. Ulsan went on to win 1-0 against Pohang.
However, Ulsan faltered immediately after Park’s departure. On March 12, they lost 1-2 at home to Incheon United. It was their first home loss of the season.
Ulsan followed that up with a 1-3 loss against Suwon Samsung on the 15th. Suwon’s loss was even more devastating because they were in the relegation zone. They bounced back with a 2-1 home win over Jeju United on the 21st, 온라인카지노 but were held to a goalless draw at Daegu FC on the 5th of this month. In Daegu, they almost lost again, conceding a crucial goal to Vassellus in the last minute of the game.
Filling Park Yong-woo’s shoes is urgent for Ulsan. Ulsan has been using Kim Min-hyuk and Bojanic as replacements since Park’s departure, but they have yet to establish themselves.
With the midfield not quite as dominant as it once was, Ulsan will host 12th-ranked Gangwon FC, the league’s lowest-ranked team, at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 12 at Gangneung Sports Complex. Ulsan has been strong enough against Gangwon to go 24 games unbeaten (21 wins and four draws) for nearly 11 years, 카지노사이트존 and has won both meetings this season.
Filling the void of Park Yong-woo will be key if Ulsan is to regain its early season form.