'Relegation Worries' Hwang Seon-hong vs. '3rd Consecutive Defeat Challenge' Hong Myung-bo Best Friends' First Battle of Strategy

'Relegation Worries' Hwang Seon-hong vs. '3rd Consecutive Defeat Challenge' Hong Myung-bo Best Friends' First Battle of Strategy

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Coach Hong Myung-bo and Coach Hwang Sun-hong, the 'legends' and 'rivals' representing Korean soccer, will have their

first battle of wits in the professional soccer K League 1.

Coach Hong, who led Ulsan HD to two consecutive K League 1 titles, is enjoying his fourth season in Ulsan with

confidence, while Coach Hwang was appointed as the new manager of Daejeon Hana Citizen, which is in danger of

relegation, on the 3rd.

Coach Hwang, born in 1968, and Coach Hong, born in 1969, are friends who have worn the Taegeuk mark for over 10 years

as the front-line striker and back-line defender, respectively.

The two have played in the World Cup together four times, from the 1990 Italy World Cup to the 2002 Korea-Japan World

Cup.

As the most senior members of the national team in the Korea-Japan World Cup, the two players who played a leading role

in the team's advancement to the semifinals returned to the national team after the friendly match against Brazil in

November of that year.

They also left a big mark on the K-League. The two played together at Pohang Steelers from 1993 to 1997, and are both

recognized as legends of Pohang.

In 1991, they were also at the center of the K-League draft rejection wave.

Since he retired and entered the path of leadership, the paths of the two best friends have gradually diverged.

Coach Hwang, who began his coaching career on the professional stage, led Pohang to three championships, including one

regular league title and two FA Cup titles, after taking the reins in 2011. He then led FC Seoul to another K League 1 title in

2016 as the coach of FC 스포츠토토존 Seoul.

However, due to poor performance, he voluntarily resigned as manager of Seoul in 2018. In 2020, he also had to step

down from his post at Daejeon, which was then in K League 2 (second division), due to poor performance.

Coach Hwang appeared to be making a comeback after leading South Korea to a third consecutive title at the 2022

Hangzhou Asian Games, but suffered a shocking defeat in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-

23 Asian Cup in April against Indonesia, led by coach Shin Tae-yong.

Along with this, he was given the stigma of being the coach who failed to advance to the Olympics for the first time in 40 years.

Now, he dreams of a comeback after four years in the 11th-ranked Daejeon, where he has nowhere else to retreat like

himself.

Coach Hong, on the other hand, received leadership training from the national team for each age group, not from a

professional team. He showed off his leadership skills by leading the team to a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he was in charge of the national team, he was eliminated in the group stage, but he

made a solid comeback in Ulsan.

He took charge of Ulsan in the 2021 season and led the team to second place that year, and then achieved back-to-back K-

League championships in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, becoming a true master coach.

Because their paths as leaders have diverged so far, Coach Hwang and Coach Hong have never faced each other as

commanders.

This is the first time that the two best friends who dominated Korean soccer in the 1990s are having a battle of wits.

Ulsan (31 points), led by coach Hong, is aiming for its third consecutive league title.

Daejeon (14 points), who barely escaped from last place, is still worried about relegation.

Coach Hwang will first make his comeback as Daejeon manager with an away game against his former team Pohang on the

15th.

The first match between Coach Hwang and Coach Hong as professional managers will be held at Daejeon World Cup

Stadium on September 27th.

In a past broadcast interview with Coach Hwang, Director Hong defined their relationship as "companions rather than

rivals," saying, "As the last defender, I push from behind, and as the last attacker, I pull from the front."

However, the two 'giants' of Korean soccer are both partners and 'rivals'. This year, when they will compete in strategy in

the K-League, they seem to be even more like rivals.