Ulsan HD on cusp of third straight K League 1 title as season winds down

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Ulsan HD on cusp of third straight K League 1 title as season winds down

Published: 28 Oct. 2024, 14:16 Updated: 28 Oct. 2024, 16:17

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Ulsan HD celebrate during the 2024 Korea Cup match against Gwangju FC at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Aug. 28. [YONHAP]

Reigning K League 1 champions Ulsan HD are one win away from their third straight league title, a feat the club has never achieved before.

Ulsan are at the top of the league table with 65 points, four points clear of second-place Gangwon FC as of press time Monday.

Winning the upcoming match against Gangwon on Friday at home would put Ulsan seven points clear and seal their league title with two matches left to go.

This year’s victory would mark another milestone in the club’s history after winning their first back-to-back league titles last year.

A third straight league victory would also mean a complete transition from their disappointment from 2019 to 2021, during which they finished as runners-up for three consecutive times after falling short of then-champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Partial credit for Ulsan’s success this year would go to new manager Kim Pan-gon, who took the helm in July after Hong Myung-bo abruptly left the team to take charge of the Korean national team.

But both Gangwon and third-place Gimcheon Sangmu have also been on impressive runs throughout the 2024 season and are still in the mix.

If Ulsan and Gangwon fail to win their last three matches and Gimcheon pick up nine points, the military club will claim the title for the first time in history.

Gimcheon Sangmu salute after their 2-1 win over Ulsan HD in the K League 1 at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Oct. 6. [YONHAP]

That victory would make current Gimcheon players on the books the first to win the K League 1 title while serving in the military.

Gimcheon are a military club that professional players between 19 and 27 join to complete their mandatory 18-month military service and continue their careers uninterrupted.

Claiming the league would mark back-to-back league titles after winning the K League 2 last year that sent them to the top tier for the 2024 campaign.

For 20 players who enlisted in April and joined Gimcheon in June, the yet-to-come league victory would mean returning to their former teams with the coveted title. Gimcheon players are to rejoin their former clubs after finishing their service.

But for 17 players who left Gimcheon on July 15 upon completion of their service, it would mean missing out on the title only because their military service period did not fall at the right time.

Finishing as runners-up would not mean much to Gimcheon, as the club cannot qualify for the 2025-26 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) with the result due to its unique status.

K League 1 winners and runners-up and Korea Cup champions can compete in the ACLE, but the Gimcheon side is unable to participate in the cross-regional tournament as the AFC does not recognize Gimcheon as a complete pro team.

As for Gangwon, winning this year’s league would be their first time doing so and the first trophy in the club’s history, having never won the Korea Cup before.

Gangwon FC midfielder Yang Min-hyuk, right, in action during the K League 1 match against Gimcheon Sangmu at Gangneung Sports Complex in Gangneung, Gangwon on June 22. [GIMCHEON SANGMU]

Even if Gangwon miss their first trophy and finish in second or third place, it would still mark a huge improvement from last season, when they barely avoided relegation to the K League 2 by winning the promotion-relegation playoffs.

A runner-up finish would also secure Gangwon a direct ticket to the ACLE, which would be their first time qualifying for any cross-regional tournament.

At the bottom of the table, three teams are vying to escape the relegation zone, with five possibly in jeopardy.

Last place Incheon United are stuck at the bottom with 35 points, with 11th-place Jeonbuk at 37 and 10th-place Daegu at 39. No. 9 Daejeon Hana Citizen have 41 and No. 8 Gwangju FC have 44.

Three league matches remain for all of them, making it possible for Gwangju to hit the bottom of the table at the end of the season.

In the K League 1, the last-place team faces direct relegation to the second division, while 10th and 11th-place teams enter the promotion-relegation playoffs against two K League 2 sides to vie for berths in the top tier next season.

This weekend will first see the clash between Ulsan and Gangwon on Friday, followed by four matches the next day: Jeonbuk versus Incheon, FC Seoul versus Pohang Steelers, Gimcheon against Suwon FC and Gwangju taking on Daejeon.

The match between Daegu and Jeju United on Sunday wraps this week’s K League schedule.

The 2024 K League 1 regular season will run through Nov. 24, with the playoffs lasting through early December.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]