Ulsan HD FC chase history as new K League 1 season kicks off

Ulsan HD FC will try to become only the second team to win four Korea football titles in a row in the new K League 1 season that kicks off Saturday.

After playing second fiddle to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for years, Ulsan have won the past three K League 1 championships. They will now seek to join Jeonbuk as the only two teams to claim at least four consecutive titles, with Jeonbuk having won five in a row from 2017 to 2021.

Ulsan's third title might have been the most impressive one during this streak. They went through a midseason coaching change, as Hong Myung-bo left for the Korean men's national team gig in July. In came Kim Pan-gon, who had previously coached the Malaysian men's team.

Ulsan briefly fell to their season-low fourth place while assistant coach Lee Kyung-woo was thrust into a caretaker role, recording just one win against three losses. After Kim took over, Ulsan posted nine wins, three draws and one loss to secure their championship with two matches to spare.

They will have to navigate a jam-packed calendar to stay on top of the K League 1.

The K League 1 will have its earliest start to a season by four days, with the showdown between Pohang Steelers and Daejeon Hana Citizen FC at 1 p.m. being the opener.

However, an early start won't mean an early finish, because there could be multiple delays due to international tournaments.

The knockout stage in the 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite tournament will begin with the round of 16 in March, and the quarterfinals and the semifinals in April. The final is scheduled for May 4.

In June, Ulsan HD will take part in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. In July, Korea will host the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship.

The K League has scheduled matches during the Champions League and the Club World Cup but could be forced to reschedule some of them depending on how deep K League participants advance in those events.

Ulsan were eliminated from knockout contention at the AFC tournament Wednesday, but they will have to play in the 2025-2026 edition of the AFC event, which will likely begin around fall. And playing in the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. will be a big midseason commitment.

Ulsan's depth will be tested this year, and they had a busy offseason. They lost two-time scoring champion Joo Min-kyu but brought in former Korean international Yoon Jong-gyu, new forward Heo Yool and Venezuelan international Matias Lacava.

FC Seoul, also an active player in the offseason, are expected to offer the biggest threat to Ulsan's throne.

Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard is back for his second season with FC Seoul and will be their new captain. They have also added high-level talent to key positions by signing defender Kim Jin-soo, winger Moon Seon-min and midfielder Jeong Seung-won. Kim and Moon have international experience, and Jeong once starred for the under-23 national team.

Daejeon will be another club to watch. In addition to signing Joo, they acquired former Pohang Steelers forward Jeong Jae-hee to shore up their offense.

After Hwang Sun-hong took over as head coach in June, Daejeon had nine wins, seven draws and six losses, losing just twice in their final 13 matches.

Jeonbuk, after narrowly avoiding relegation last season, hired former Greece men's national team boss Gus Poyet as new head coach, while signing Italian striker Andrea Compagno to bolster an attack that ranked in the middle of the pack last year.

Gangwon FC were a huge surprise last year as they finished in second place behind Ulsan. However, they have since parted ways with head coach Yoon Jong-hwan, who couldn't come to an agreement on a new deal with Gangwon and instead signed with the K League 2 club Incheon United. Gangwon's top offensive player last year, teen sensation Yang Min-hyeok, signed for Tottenham Hotspur last summer and was loaned to Queens Park Rangers in January.

FC Anyang earned their first promotion by winning the K League 2 last season and will try to stick around for 2026.

All six matches on the opening weekend -- three on Saturday and three more on Sunday — will be held in the southern part of the country, where it will likely be warmer than in Seoul or its surrounding areas. (Yonhap)