Korean clubs' campaign for continental championship starts

FC Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo, left, speaks during a news conference before his side to face Central Coast Mariners of Australia in an Asian Champions League game at Seoul World Cup Stadium in this Feb. 24, 2014, photo. / Yonhap

FC Seoul to face Hanoi in qualification

playoff for Asian Champions League Tuesday

By John Duerden

It would be great if the success, or near success, at the Asian Cup in January could ignite a spark of love in Korea for the club equivalent ― the Asian Champions League. This annual event does not quite catch the nation’s imagination as much as its quadrennial counterpart. It should though, it was 1960 since the national team was continental champion but the country’s clubs have managed it no less than ten times.

Repeating it in 2015 may be harder than ever. The days of K-League dominance are probably over and 2014 witnessed the first final that didn’t feature a Korean team since 2008. The country’s quartet actually performed reasonably well last year. Three progressed through the group stage ― Ulsan Hyundai did not ― and then proceeded to knock each other out ― causing more cynical fans to claim a continental conspiracy aimed at preventing more Korean success.

Regardless, Pohang Steelers defeated Jeonbuk Motors in the round of 16 before losing to FC Seoul in the quarterfinal. The capital club then disappointed in the semifinal, losing tamely to eventual champion Western Sydney Wanderers.

Seoul, losing finalist in 2013, has squeezed back in the 2015 edition thanks to a third place finish in the league and is the only one of the four not yet with an automatic place in the tournament ― yet. It has a qualification play-off on Tuesday against Hanoi T&T from Vietnam at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Choi Yong-soo’s men are strong favorites to get the win and take their place in Group H.

It may not be the blessing it looks. The group contains 2013 champion, big-spending Chinese powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande and current champions Western Sydney. Add Kashima Antlers, the most successful club in Japanese history, and finishing in the top two will not be easy especially if Seoul repeats its usual slow start to the season. Fans are concerned at the lack of quality in the team and recruits over the winter have not removed the worries. The pressure is on coach Choi.

Jeonbuk Motors, champion in 2006 and finalist in 2011, is the team best-equipped for a continental campaign. Coach Choi Kang-hee and much of his team has plenty of experience. The group doesn’t look too difficult either. Shandong Luneng has been spending money in the Chinese Super League but lacks the quality of Guangzhou while Vietnam’s Binh Duong will be seen as the weakest member of the group. The final member of the group will be decided on Tuesday and Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol should see off the Thai challenge of Chonburi.

Suwon Bluewings return to the tournament for the first time since a poor campaign in 2013. Urawa Reds provide a tough test from Japan while Australia’s Brisbane Roar will be looking to make an impact after failing to win a game in Asia last time around. The last opponent will be either Beijing Guoan or Bangkok Glass and probably Beijing, meaning that Suwon will renew acquaintance with former nemesis and Seoul striker Dejan Damjanovic.

And there are Seongnam FC, returning to the competition for the first time since 2012. Champion in 2010, this is a very different team and not just because the Ilhwa Chunma part of the name has gone. This is no longer the richest club in the country but one that struggled against relegation last season before winning the FA Cup. Getting out of a group with Japanese champion Gamba Osaka, Thai powerhouse Buriram United and one of Central Coast Mariners of Australia or China’s Guangzhou R&F will not be easy.

Starting in February, it is a long road to the final in November but one worth tackling. The first steps start this week.