Gimpo FC has undergone a major transformation this winter.
Gimpo had their best year ever last season. They emerged as the center of the K League 2 upsurge, finishing in third place. They made the playoffs for the first time in their history. Despite falling to Gangwon FC in the promotion playoffs, Gimpo's performance was enough to earn them praise. Gimpo's total annual wage bill was just 2.662 billion won, the second lowest among the 25 clubs in the K League.
The fallout from the upsurge was significant. The team lost 13 to 14 of its key players from the previous season. Only Lewis, Choi Jae-hoon, and Park Kyung-rok remain in the starting lineup for Gimpo's final game of the season, the second leg of the promotion playoffs against Gangwon. Considering Gimpo's thin roster, it's no exaggeration to say that the club actually finished the season with only 15 or 16 players.
This, of course, was a medal of honor for Gimpo. Gimpo's roster consisted of players who hadn't even established themselves in the K League 2. Coach Choi Jeong-woon said many times that he wanted Gimpo to be a stepping stone, not an end, and it paid off. Loan players such as Cho Sung-kwon (Gwangju FC), Song Chang-seok (Daejeon Hana Citizens), and Song Jun-seok (Gangwon) returned to their original clubs, while Kim Tae-han, who played in the K3 League, secured a move to K League 1 Suwon FC with a big jump in salary. Kim Yi-seok also wore a Gangwon jersey. 토토사이트 Lee Sang-hyuk (Bucheon FC), Kim Jong-seok, Joo Ning-yo (Sangnam Asan FC), Park Kwang-il (Seongnam FC), and Son Seok-yong (Suwon Samsung) also moved to other teams in the second division on decent terms.
In fact, Gimpo tried to keep Kim Tae-han, Park Cheong-hyo, and Joo Ning-yo, and offered them the best deal they could, but unfortunately, they didn't join them. In the case of Kim Tae-han and Park Cheong-hyo, it was difficult to push harder because the offer came from the first division.
With so many players leaving, Gimpo was forced to make changes that practically amounted to a rebuild. The leadership of coach Choi Jung-woon, who won the K League 2 Coach of the Year award last season, was recognized, and players with K League 1 experience, such as Son Jeong-hyun, Kim Won-gyun, and Kim Jun-hyung, were brought in. As the number of players who succeeded in advancing to the K League 1 increased, a positive response to the move to Gimpo was formed among the players.
Still, there were trials and errors. Gimpo was a team that fought as a team, not as individuals. Unlike last season's squad, which was optimized for fixed-ball football because many of the players had been together since the K3 League, the new players had to learn the tactics from scratch. "At the beginning, we were lost," Ko said.
However, the team seems to be settling in faster than expected. A 0-4 defeat to Jeonnam in their first game raised some concerns, but the team registered their first win in two games by beating title favorites Busan. From there, Gimpo quickly got back on track and went on a winning streak. The loss to Bucheon in their first home game of the season was disappointing, but 11 points from nine games is not a bad result. They're not far off their target playoff spot. The goals aren't coming as expected due to a heavy focus on last season's top scorer Luis and Bruno's slow adaptation, but if they do break through, the points will come quicker. Furthermore, with seven consecutive home games starting on the 22nd when the weather gets hotter, there is plenty of room for a rebound.