Ulsan thwart rivals, exorcise demons to return to K League summit

▲ Ulsan Hyundai FC players celebrate a goal by Martin Adam (2nd from R) against Gangwon FC during the clubs' K League 1 match at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, on Oct. 16, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ Um Won-sang of Ulsan Hyundai FC (front) is embraced by teammate Seol Young-woo after scoring a goal against Gangwon FC during the clubs' K League 1 match at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, on Oct. 16, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ Ulsan Hyundai FC head coach Hong Myung-bo prepares for a K League 1 match against Gangwon FC at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, on Oct. 16, 2022. (Yonhap)

▲ Supporters for Ulsan Hyundai FC cheer on their K League 1 team during a match against Gangwon FC at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul, on Oct. 16, 2022. (Yonhap)

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Ulsan thwart rivals, exorcise demons to return to K League summit

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- Following a largely uninspiring scoreless draw with Incheon United on Sept. 14, Ulsan Hyundai FC saw their lead atop the K League 1 tables cut to just five points with six matches to go. That same day, second-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defeated Seongnam FC 1-0.

It was not difficult to imagine a world in which Jeonbuk would rally for a record sixth consecutive K League 1 title. After all, they had done that for the past three straight seasons, with Ulsan coming out on the wrong end each time. After the Incheon match, Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo spoke of the need for his players to show more courage in the face of fears, a candid acknowledgement that the team still hadn't fully overcome their mental blocks.

Could this be deja vu all over again? Would Ulsan add to their total of 10 runner-up finishes, already a league record?

On Saturday, answers to both questions turned out to be "no."

Ulsan captured their first K League 1 title since 2005 by beating Gangwon FC 2-1 on Sunday.

They moved to 76 points and ensured that Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, in second place at 67 points, cannot catch them even if they win their remaining two matches.

Ulsan whiffed on their first chance to clinch the title early on Tuesday, when they had a 1-1 draw with Pohang Steelers. A victory would have given Ulsan the title. And even after the draw, a Jeonbuk draw or loss against Gangwon FC later that day would have made Ulsan the champions. Jeonbuk prevailed 1-0 instead, forcing Ulsan to try again to lock down the title before the season finale on Oct. 23.

Even after the disappointing draw against Pohang, the only scenario in which Ulsan couldn't win a title was this: for them to lose their final two games, and for Jeonbuk to win their remaining three. The two clubs would then finish with 73 points and would have to go to tiebreakers.

Cynics among Ulsan supporters, burned by years of close calls, could have been forgiven for bracing themselves for that very possibility. But on Saturday, they finally got to enjoy Ulsan's long-awaited title.

Ulsan exorcised their demons along the way. That the championship came at the expense of Jeonbuk made this run that much sweeter for Ulsan.

In 2019, Ulsan only needed a draw against Pohang in their season finale and the title would be theirs. Instead, Pohang destroyed those hopes with a 4-1 win, allowing Jeonbuk to snatch the championship trophy with a 1-0 win over Gangwon FC the same day.

In 2020, Ulsan and Jeonbuk were tied for first place with two matches left, and Ulsan lost to Jeonbuk 1-0 in the penultimate game of the season en route to another runner-up finish.

Jeonbuk once again stood in the way between Ulsan and the league summit this year, but Ulsan got the better of their rivals this time.

Despite some late-season inconsistency, Ulsan have been the K League 1's best team for most of the season.

Prior to Sunday's action, Ulsan ranked second in the league with 54 goals scored, and they have conceded the fewest goals with 30. They are among the league's best in shot attempts, shots on goal, and shots taken from inside the penalty area.

They are at or near the top of the leaderboard in passing metrics. Their defensive numbers show that giving up the fewest goals in the competition hasn't been a fluke.

Ulsan have been increasing their payrolls in recent years, in hopes of acquiring high-end talent that could get the team over the top.

In 2018, Ulsan ranked second in payroll at 9.4 billion won, about half of what Jeonbuk were paying their players. By 2020, that gap had narrowed considerably, with Jeonbuk still leading the way at 16.9 billion won and Ulsan trailing at 14.6 billion won. Last year, Ulsan spent 14.7 billion won on player salaries, compared to 17.8 billion won by Ulsan.

Prior to this season, Ulsan had lost a trio of young attackers in Lee Dong-jun, Lee Dong-gyeong and Oh Se-hun to overseas clubs, while veteran midfielder Yoon Bitgaram signed with another K League side, Jeju United. The front office went out and filled the gap admirably, signing Um Won-sang away from Gwangju FC and bringing in Leonardo, who had excelled in China and Japan.

Leonardo and Um lead the balanced attack with 11 goals apiece but the summer signing of the Hungarian international Martin Adam proved to be the game changer, the proverbial final piece of the puzzle.

After a scoreless debut in early August, Adam went on to score eight goals over his next 11 matches -- none bigger than the brace he had against Jeonbuk on Oct. 8

That set the stage for Sunday's championship celebrations. Perhaps in typical Ulsan fashion, they did it the hard way after missing out on an earlier opportunity. But after so many heartbreaks, Ulsan were glad to get their hands on the trophy whatever ways they could.

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