Seoul, Pohang clash in 'Hwang Sun-hong Derby'
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By Baek Byung-yeul
FC Seoul will clash with the Pohang Steelers at Pohang Steel Yard on Saturday.
The match between the K-League Classic’s second-place Seoul and eighth-place Pohang has been drawing football fans’ attention, being called the “Hwang Sun-hong Derby.”
FC Seoul recently appointed Hwang Sun-hong as its new head coach, as previous head coach Choi Yong-soo left the team on Tuesday to take over Chinese football club Jiangsu Suning FC. Coincidentally, however, their next match will be with Pohang, which Hwang coached for four seasons from 2011 to 2015. During his years in Pohang, the 2002 World Cup star was recognized for leading the North Gyeongsang Province team to clinch a league title in 2013 and the Korean FA Cup twice in 2012 and 2013.
Unfortunately the match won’t feature Hwang, who reportedly returned from France on Friday after watching a few matches of the ongoing UEFA Euro 2016 there. Hwang will have his debut as Seoul’s head coach starting with a match against Seongnam FC on June 29.
Seoul currently ranks in second place with 30 points (nine wins, three draws and three losses) while Pohang remains eighth with 18 points (four wins, six draws and five losses).
Though it is expected to be a tough one for the eighth-place Pohang, the outcome of the match is hard to foretell. FC Seoul had a match Wednesday against the second division Ansan Mugunghwa FC during a round of 16 matches for the Korean FC Cup, so it will be a huge test of the team’s physical stamina. On the other hand, Pohang may get a boost of confidence if they remember their 3-1 away win against Seoul last month.
The other two K-League Classic matches on Saturday will pit third-place Jeju United FC (15 points with eight wins, two draw and five losses) against the ninth-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings (15 points with two wins, six draws and seven losses) and 10th-place Jeonnam Dragons against 11th-place Incheon United FC who are both at 15 points with two wins, six draws and seven losses.
On Sunday, the league’s leading team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors is set to extend their lossless streak against Gwangju FC in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
Jeonbuk played a 0-0 tie with Incheon United last Saturday, which gave them a 15-game lossless streak since the opening match of the season. With the draw, the defending champions tied with 2007’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (now Seongnam FC) who had 11 wins and four draws in 15 games after the season’s opener that year. Jeonbuk has earned 31 points with eight wins and seven draws.
It remains to be seen whether Jeonbuk can break the record against the league’s seventh-place Gwangju (19 points with five wins, four draws and six losses).
The league’s fourth and fifth teams Ulsan Hyundai FC and Seongnam FC will clash in Seongnam and the league’s bottom team Suwon FC will host the sixth-place Sangju Sangmu FC in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday.