“If the tempo is faster, you will be able to play better soccer!” Coach Hong Myung-bo (54) of Ulsan HD (formerly Ulsan Hyundai), the ‘champion of K-League 1 for two years in a row’, emphasized ‘speeding up’ as a key task to achieve the ‘dream of three consecutive wins’ .Coach Hong Myung-bo said at a press conference for the 2024 K-League Winter Training Camp held at Hotel Hyundai by Lahan Ulsan in Dong-gu, Ulsan on the 7th, “Looking back on the last two years, I thought we could play better soccer if the tempo was a little faster. “He started crying. He then emphasized, “We will take advantage of the strengths of our players and avoid the checks of other teams through fast-tempo games.” Coach Hong, who took the helm of Ulsan on December 24, 2020, was unable to overcome the competition with Jeonbuk Hyundai in K-League 1 in 2021 and finished runner-up in the league, but succeeded in ‘achieving two consecutive wins in K-League’ in 2022 and 2023. He rose to the rank of master .Among the K League’s all-time coaches, Coach Hong was the 6th person to lead the team to two consecutive losses .Now, Coach Hong is attempting to become the 3rd player in K-League history to achieve the feat of ‘3 consecutive wins in the K-League’, following Manager Park Jong-hwan (1993, 1994, 1995) and Cha Gyeong-bok (2001, 2002, 2003). The Ulsan team, which returned to Korea on the 4th after conducting field training in Ishigaki and Kagoshima, Japan ahead of the new season, will play the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) against Banforet Kofu (Japan) scheduled for the 15th. We are focusing on hardening in preparation for.
In preparation for the new season, Coach Hong selected new Brazilian defensive midfielder Matheus and attacking midfielder Kelvin as foreign players, and added veteran central defender Hwang Seok-ho and left fullback Shim Sang-min, who played in Japan, as well as midfield resources Ko Seung-beom and Kim Min-woo. We worked hard to strengthen the midfield and backfield. Coach Hong, who chose to make significant changes to the squad ahead of the new season, said, “The newly joined players know Ulsan’s style and team color well,” and added, “In preparation for the new season, the priority is to strengthen the defensive organization. However, national team selection and injuries are a priority.” “I wasn’t able to train well on defense during training camp due to a player outbreak, etc. However, I was able to train well on the offensive side,” he said. When asked about the prospect of achieving ‘3 consecutive wins in K League 1’, Coach Hong said with a confident expression, “We have won the title for the past two years,” and added, “A lot of new players joined, and training time was not enough, but we had experience joining existing veteran players and new players. “Many players will play their roles well,” he said .He added, “Korea League 1’s second consecutive victory will be great know-how toward a third consecutive victory,” and added, “I expect that the newly formed 스포츠토토존 captain will demonstrate leadership and lead the team well.”