Suwon Samsung is set to celebrate the new year in the K League 2 for the second consecutive year. Suwon finished the season sixth (56 points) overall in the K League 2 2024 of Hana Bank. The semi-playoff (PO) Maginot Line, which can seek promotion, ranks fifth.
Suwon, which was demoted to the K League 2 for the first time since its foundation in 2024, aims for a championship and automatic promotion. However, the result was far off.
Suwon ranked sixth overall (about 10.6 billion won) as of the K League 1 in 2023. Despite being automatically demoted, there was no major departure except for free agents. Although this year's salary figures have yet to be announced, Suwon is most likely to rank No. 1 among the K League 2 teams. No team spent more than 6 billion won on players' salaries in the 스포츠토토 K League 2 last year.
Suwon cannot avoid criticism that it achieved such a feat even after spending money. This is an issue that was pointed out the same way last year when it was automatically demoted.
Mulic, a foreign player from Suwon, scored 10 goals in the league this season, but eight more players have scored than that in the K-League 2. Paulino, who joined the team in the summer, had only one goal after joining Suwon. Mylat joined the team around the same time has two goals. Suwon scored only seven goals (46 points) among the 13 teams. It allowed the fewest goals (35 goals lost) in the league, but failed to find an answer to its lackluster offense.
Veteran players with high salaries in Korea lost their place due to below-expectation performances. Suwon performed well in this season when it had 11 undefeated matches (five wins and six draws) right after the inauguration of coach Byun Sung-hwan. However, young players including Lee Kyu-dong, Kim Ji-ho and Park Seung-soo played during the period.
Suwon drew an upward and downward curve. Veteran players who will set a shaky period were either silenced or absent due to injury. Coach Byun Sung-hwan, who came in during the season, had some difficulties in timing to complete the squad, but it cannot be an excuse for his poor performance.
In the end, there is a high possibility that a strong wind will blow to the team. After this season, a large number of veterans of Suwon will become FA. "The team used a lot of young players this season. There was not enough center to hold the core of the team," Suwon's general manager Park Kyung-hoon said in a phone interview with this newspaper. "The proportion of foreign players is large, but we have to admit that they failed to make full use of it."
"Even though he has devoted himself to the team, he should suit the coach's style. Some players may want to leave the team at the suggestion of other teams," Park said.
Suwon canceled its planned mini-camp in preparation for the PO and began a three-week break. After that, it will be convened in December to prepare for the 2025 season. As the team prepares for a complete season under coach Byun Sung-hwan, it is expected that the team will be organized early.