‘Gimpo’ finally enters promotion PO…opponent is ‘residual experience’ Gangwon

Gimpo FC, the team of the year, will face Gangwon FC of the K League 1.

Gimpo will host Gangwon in the first round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 promotion playoffs at Gimpo Solter Soccer Field at 7 p.m. on June 6. Gimpo finished third in the K League 2 this season, while Gangwon finished 10th in the K League 1.

They’re literal upsets. Gimpo entered the professional ranks for the first time last season. They didn’t do too badly in their first season of professionalization. They finished 8th in the league with 10 wins, 11 draws, and 19 losses in 40 games.

This season, the team has made significant additions to its roster. In particular, they focused on signing foreign players, something they hadn’t been able to do well last season. Luis, Juningyo, and Pablo joined the team. Park Kwang-il, Kim Sung-min, and Kim Min-ho also donned the Gimpo jersey this winter.

With the right mix of old and new faces, Gimpo started the season with a lot of momentum. They remained undefeated until Round 13. They didn’t lose a single game against any of the teams in the first round-robin, leading the league with seven wins and five draws in 12 games.

Gimpo took a bit of a dip in the second round-robin, failing to win their first six games. However, they steadily picked up points throughout the season, eventually finishing third in the league and qualifying for the K League 2 promotion playoffs. Gimpo reached the playoffs with a 2-1 win over Gyeongnam FC, who had just defeated Bucheon FC 1995 on the previous day.

Gimpo, which is seeking promotion in its second year of professionalization, has just two games left. First, they host Gangwon for the first leg of the promotion playoffs. The two teams have already met once this season. They met in the fourth round of the FA Cup in May.

Back then, Gimpo evened up with Gangwon at home, but conceded a late goal in stoppage time to lose 2-3. Gimpo’s ‘gun’ Lewis scored a multi-goal performance that day. Confident that they can do enough against Gangwon, Gimpo are determined to build on their good momentum throughout the season and secure promotion.

If Gimpo comes out firing on all cylinders, Gangwon’s crunch time experience will come in handy. Gangwon has had a disappointing season. They even changed their head coach mid-season. The team hasn’t been able to rebound and is heading into the relegation playoffs.

Gangwon has overcome the crisis of the relegation playoffs before. In the 2021 season, they defeated Daejeon Hana Citizens by an aggregate score of 4-2 to stay in the league. They also reached the relegation playoffs when they were in the K League Challenge (now K League 2) and were promoted. 무지개토토

This will be a big weapon for Gangwon. Add to that the recent desperation. Gangwon fought to avoid direct relegation until the final game of the league. Playing their last two games of the season against relegation rivals Suwon FC and Suwon Samsung, Gangwon managed to get a win and a draw to move up to 10th place. If the team finishes well again, they will be able to play in the K League 1 next year.