Ulsan threatens a one-horse race

By John Duerden

Be careful what you wish for. Ahead of the current K-League season, most people in Korean soccer wanted an end to the Ulsan Hyundai/Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors duopoly, which has dominated the last four seasons. If the current situation continues, it could get worse.

Ulsan defeated Suwon Bluewings on Saturday to make it six wins out of six so far. Two goals in quick succession in the first half from Sweden's Gustav Ludwigson gave the Tigers the advantage against their struggling opponents and while they almost threw it away as Kim Kyung-jung pulled a goal back with 11 minutes remaining. Not long after Suwon missed a penalty, therefore, letting Ulsan off the hook as they secured all three points. The champions now have 18 points from a possible 18 points and it is all looking a little ominous for the rest of the league. Instead of the same old two-horse race, which has been the case of late, Ulsan are starting to pull away.

Jeonbuk is not yet in top gear, not even close. The Greens, who had won five straight championships before finishing second to Ulsan last year, and the club has had an unusually spluttering start to the season. There were few worries when it started with a 2-1 defeat against Ulsan. Losing narrowly to the champion when there are still 37 games remaining is nothing to get too worried about, especially when it was followed by a draw with Suwon and then a victory over Gwangju. Then, however, came back-to-back losses at the hands of Daegu FC and Pohang Steelers. Losing three out of five league games is a rarity indeed for the Greens and the team's performances had fans protesting against coach Kim Sang-sik.

Jeonbuk bounced back on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Incheon. It means that the team from Jeonju now has seven points from six games but that is a tally that is already 11 fewer points than Ulsan. There is, of course, a long way still to go but Jeonbuk can ill afford to allow the gap to get bigger.

The same can be said of the others. Pohang Steelers finished third last season but was a long way back, and is in second this time around. Ulsan's southeastern rival is also unbeaten so far in this campaign but has tied two of the six games and is currently four points off the pace. In third is FC Seoul. It is early to say whether the capital club is back and ready to challenge but the early signs are certainly promising. An impressive crowd of 45,000 saw the red and blacks defeat Daegu FC 3-0 and they were treated to a fine performance.

With Ulsan, Pohang and Seoul in the top three, the early top three has a classic feel to it. All it needs is Suwon Bluewings to be up there once again though the Gyeonggi giant is struggling at the bottom with just two points from six games. It remains to be seen if Suwon can climb the table but it is likely that Jeonbuk will be able to get back to familiar lofty places.

Someone needs to be a genuine challenger to Ulsan because while having the same two teams at the top every season can become boring, it certainly is a lot better than having just one out on its own.