Suwon Samseong, which has struggled to find its wings this season, has started to climb out of the relegation zone. Suwon defeated Ulsan Hyundai and Gangwon FC in a two-game series before the two-week break to record their first back-to-back wins of the season. Coming into the match trailing by one point, Suwon finally moved out of 12th place. It was their first time out of last place since April 9.
Suwon were in danger of falling into the relegation zone for the second year in a row. This is the first managerial change in the league this season. Lee Byung-geun, who took over midway through last season and led the club to a difficult stay up, was forced to relinquish the reins after just one year. He was replaced by Kim Byung-soo. The club and fans were hoping that he could replicate the sensation he showed in his first and second years at Gangwon.
It wasn’t easy to see a dramatic change in the team’s performance under Kim. After 10 league games, the team has one win, three draws, and six losses, and is stagnant in the standings. The gap between them and 11th-place Gangwon was not closing anytime soon. However, something was changing within the team. Despite the lack of wins, coach Kim Byung-soo encouraged his players and explained what was wrong. Rather than pointing out individual problems, he emphasized the need to improve the team situation.
온라인바카라 Soon after his appointment, Kim Byung-soo said that it was urgent to change the atmosphere of the team, which had fallen into a state of defeat. In particular, trust between the coaching staff and the players, and between the players and the players, could be utilized to create a winning atmosphere. The expression ‘I love you’ came out of this. The idea is to put aside selfishness and make selfless changes based on love for the team and each other. In fact, Suwon’s turbulent team atmosphere has disappeared, and a cohesive chemistry is developing internally and externally.
After losing four straight games from mid-May, there was talk of ‘coach Kim Byung-soo having no choice’, but the team’s performance gradually improved in June. Starting with a draw against Incheon, the team won four out of five games. The team’s pattern of conceding goals in the final minutes of games was not fixed, and they lost winnable games. Coach Kim Byung-soo proclaimed that the turning point of a victory was most needed and that the team could rebound when it came.
Coincidentally, that rebound came in a home game against Ulsan, who are currently dominating in the K League 1. Suwon called it their best win of the season. Kim Byung-soo, who was always weak against Ulsan when he was the head coach of Gangwon, broke the jinx as the head coach of Suwon. In what has been described as a doomsday, guillotine match, Suwon took a hard-fought 2-1 win at Gangwon. A nine-match winless streak (four draws and five losses) turned into a five-match winless streak (two wins and three draws), and Suwon (18 points) moved two points clear of Gangwon (16 points) for 11th place.
What turned the tide for the desperate Suwon was the summer transfer window. Players who were actively requested by coach Kim Byung-soo and players the club has been watching for a long time have joined the team and are playing well. Kim Joo-won and Kim Gum-yeol, two of the coach’s protégés, have become the leaders of the offense and defense, respectively. Kim Joo-won anchors the backline, while Kim Byung-soo’s variation of a three-back is well established. In his short time on the field, Gomyeol has shown the poise of a soccer tutor, opening up opportunities for the attackers around him. Japanese midfielder Kazuki Kozuka, one of the best signings in the entire K League this summer, is the tactical key that Kim Byung-soo wanted. His solid ball possession in the midfield and creative link-ups once he finds a passing lane have dramatically turned around a turnover-prone Suwon midfield.
Players who had been sluggish or less present have also come to life. Mullich and Jeon Jin-woo have regained their confidence and started to play their part in the offense, while Ko Seung-beom has found a partner in Kazuki and has become more active and forward. Park Dae-won is finding his footing in defense.
The arrival of high school rookie Kim Joo-chan, the latest in Suwon’s boyhood lineage, has certainly given the team a boost. Kim’s back-to-back wonder goals against Ulsan and Gangwon were awe-inspiring. Go Seung-bum’s goal against Gangwon, a team effort that capitalized on the space and link-ups that coach Kim Byung-soo was looking for, gave Suwon confidence that they could do better.
But the most important factor that saved Suwon was their fans. Suwon fans, who tearfully sing “Nasanasu” (My Love, My Suwon) in both victory and defeat, spent the first half of the season determined not to give up on their team despite being in the relegation zone for the second year in a row. The ‘Suwon Karaoke’ mode, where the stadium is covered with chants and cheers regardless of home or away, is in full swing. Suwon fans have been known for their overwhelming support in the past, but in the midst of a relegation crisis, they are united and focused on their team. The blue and white umbrellas are a sight to behold.
Suwon currently ranks sixth in the K League 1 with an average home attendance of 9762. The average attendance for their last five home games over the weekend was 12,453, creating a bizarre phenomenon of increasing attendance despite extremely poor performance. Gangwon FC and Suwon FC, who are battling in the relegation zone, are ranked 10th and 11th in average attendance with 5241 and 4883, respectively. While fan loyalty can’t be measured by numbers alone, Suwon, despite being in the relegation zone, has averaged nearly 10,000 fans per game to support their players.
Coach Kim Byung-soo took a big bow to the Suwon fans after the Ulsan game, and it wasn’t a spontaneous gesture. It was a sincere gesture that he had wanted to make since his arrival, in recognition of the love and passion the fans have shown for the team. It was a way of saying that the fans are the ones to love the most for their selflessness in the rain for the players. At the same time, it was a thank-you from a team that knows that its greatest strength is the unwavering support of its fans.
After two consecutive wins, the mood in Suwon changed from despair to hope for nearly five months. After the break, Suwon will host Suwon FC in a derby. Only two points separate 11th-place Suwon from 10th-place Suwon FC. If Suwon can win their third straight league game, they will move up another spot. Conversely, if Suwon FC wins, the gap will widen. The relegation battle will be decided on August 5 at the Suwon World Cup Stadium, but one thing is for sure: the home fans will be cheering and screaming.