The K League 1 2023 season ends the winter sleep and begins a new campaign. Can we see a splendid fireworks display from the first round this year?

The Hana One Q K League 1 2023 season begins with the official opening game between Ulsan Hyundai and Jeonbuk Hyundai held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium at 2:00 pm on the 25th. It has been four months since a long season ended at the end of October last year.

An exciting game continues after the face-to-face confrontation between the two teams, who are the first candidates for the championship. Seoul and Incheon will play the ‘Gyeongin Derby’ at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 4:30 pm on the 25th, and at the same time, Suwon, who barely survived last season, and Gwangju, who came up after conquering K-League 2, meet at the Suwon World Cup Stadium.

On the next day, the 26th, at 2:00 PM, Pohang and Daegu will face off at Pohang Steel Yard, and Jeju and Suwon FC will also show off the so-called ‘Yoon Bitgaram Derby’ at the Jeju World Cup Stadium at the same time. At 4:00 pm on the same day, Daejeon and Gangwon, which were entangled in a bad relationship two years ago, meet again at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium to finish the K-League 1 opening game.스포츠토토

As it is the first game to start a season, the enthusiasm of the fans is also hot. Nearly 30,000 spectators are expected to gather in Ulsan, and Seoul is also expecting 20,000 spectators. More than 15,000 and 10,000 fans are expected to gather in Daejeon and Suwon, respectively. Pohang also predicted a box office success as the home support seats behind the goalposts were sold out early.

There is also interest in scoring, the so-called ‘flower of soccer’, which can delight the eyes of fans the most. It is said that a solid defense is more important to win, but there is nothing like a hot attack to call the spectators to the stadium. 

Last year, 2022 was a low-scoring year. Last season, K League 1 scored 590 goals in 228 games, averaging 2.59 goals per game. It’s not a very small number, but it’s the second lowest number of goals in the last seven years compared to 2021 (563 goals). 

Even that was thanks to his sharp goal-making ability. The 12 K-League 1 teams scored 577 goals out of a total of 580 expected goals last season. Compared to the 2021 season, when only 542 goals were scored out of 607.8 expected goals, you can see how brilliant the players’ determination was.

In particular, the scoring drought was more prominent in the opening game. Could it be because of the cold weather? Only 9 goals were scored in 6 matches in the first round. Pohang was the only team that scored more than 3 goals, and 7 teams including Suwon FC, Daegu, Suwon Samsung, Jeju, Ulsan, Gimcheon and Seongnam were silent without scoring.

Could it be different this year? There is a corner that everyone believes in. Ulsan recruited Joo Min-kyu, who scored 17 goals last season, and Rubiksson, who is knocking out the Swedish national team. Jeonbuk also kept Cho Kyu-seong, the ‘World Cup star’, and newly adopted Jun Amano, Rafael Silva, and Andre Luis.

Seoul brought in national striker Hwang Eui-jo on loan, while Incheon acquired charge captain Jerso and K-League 1 top midfielder Shin Jin-ho. Pohang, Daegu, and Jeju each recruited strikers Jeka, Edgar, and Hayes, who were proven in the K-League, to reinforce their offensive lineup. Not to mention Suwon FC, which has protected all existing strikers such as Lee Seung-woo, Kim Hyun, and Ras, and even joined Yoon Bit-garam.

Gangwon has no major reinforcements, but Kim Dae-won, who scored 12 goals and 13 assists last season, and Yang Hyun-joon, the winner of the Young Player Award, are holding on. Suwon Samsung lost Oh Hyeon-gyu, but they embraced 203cm tall striker Mulich and Akosti who will add destructive power to the side.

The promoted teams Gwangju and Daejeon also have no plans to back down. Gwangju coach Lee Jeong-hyo shouted, “If I score 1 goal, I will try to score 2 goals, if I score 2 goals, I will try to score 3 goals.” I don’t think about it. I’m not backing down like in the second part, I’m trying to bump into it.” In fact, all 12 teams pledged to play aggressive football.

Now there is only one thing left to show on the pitch. How can 12 teams, each with their own dreams, take the first step?