FC Seoul may be without a coach, but the fans are with them.
FC Seoul will host Ulsan in the 28th round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Seoul, who are fourth in the K League 1 with 39 points, are winless in their last five matches with three draws and two losses.
After conceding an equalizer in the 27th round home match against Daegu FC on Nov. 19 to settle for a draw with a 2-1 lead, head coach Ahn Ik-soo announced his resignation.
In a press conference immediately after the game, Ahn said, “Change is necessary for Seoul to develop. In order to fulfill my promise, I’m quitting,” he said.
Ahn read the “resignation letter” he had prepared in advance. It was a story that hadn’t been shared with the club or the players.
The sudden announcement of Ahn’s unilateral resignation threw Seoul’s already shaky organization into turmoil. On the 22nd, the club appointed Kim Jin-gyu as acting head coach. 메이저놀이터
Seoul’s position is very precarious at this point. Seoul is in a precarious fourth place, tied with fifth-place Gwangju FC on 39 points but ahead on goal difference.
Add to that the fact that sixth-place Incheon United (37 points), seventh-place Daejeon Hana Citizens (36 points), and ninth-place Jeju United (34 points) are all within five points of each other, and the club’s chances of making it to Final A are uncertain.
In many ways, the aftermath of Ahn’s resignation is a concern. On top of that, they’re facing a near-nemesis in Ulsan.
Seoul has lost two straight games against Ulsan. To be more precise, since April 2018, they have lost 4 draws and 13 defeats in 17 matches against Ulsan.
It’s a worrying situation for many reasons. Still, with Seoul in trouble, the guardian spirits have stepped up to the plate. Even though the game is on a Sunday evening, when it is relatively difficult to mobilize a crowd, 30,000 fans are expected to attend.
“More than 20,000 seats were sold in advance,” said a Seoul official. We are expecting 30,000 spectators,” said a Seoul official, adding, “We will show a good performance based on the support of our fans.”
Seoul is facing a nemesis in the sudden absence of their commander. It will be interesting to see if they can pull off a miracle in front of 30,000 fans.