Rechasing the Dream: Seoul E-Land's Quest for Glory in 2025 | OneFootball

It only seemed like yesterday that Seoul E-Land were one game away from the joys of the K League 1. A valiant effort against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors left them a little short, and they now prepare once again for life in the 2025 K League 2. This season brings some new challenges for Seoul E-Land in the second division, including meeting new faces and matching up with ex-friends who have become foes. Join Michael Redmond as he looks at what has happened in the offseason for Seoul E-Land. Let's take a look at the arrivals and departures in the capital as well as what to expect from the Leopards in the 2025 season.

On to Greener Pastures…

It was always going to be inevitable that, when a second-division team performs so well, other teams’ heads would turn. These teams were more than happy to take the players who brought Seoul to the dance against Jeonbuk in early December. Only one month later, in January, a mass exodus of Seoul E-Land players took place—players who had helped them achieve their highest-ever league position.

It all started with the loss of Kazuki Kozuka, who showed great promise after moving from Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Montano also leaves Seoul E-Land for the 2025 season.

Other Seoul players who departed include Lee In-jae, Yoon Bo-sang, Lee Sang-min, Park Jun-yeong, Hwang Tae-hyun, Park Jeong-in, Im Dong-hyuk, Lee Ki-hyeon, and Go Mu-yeol.

In the usual mix of the mass player exits that occur every year in the capital, there were some especially noticeable departures this time around. Lee Dong-ryul, who spent three years with the club, moved to Incheon United. Kim Sin-jin and Lee Jun-seok, who were heroes against Jeonnam Dragons in the playoff semifinals, also moved on.

Bruno Silva makes the move to K League 2 rivals Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

Park Min-so, who was a firm fan favorite in 2024, has also left the club. The two biggest losses for Seoul, which really touched the fans, were the departures of Moon Jeong-in to Ulsan HD and Bruno Silva to Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

Jeong-in, the goalkeeper, worked his way to becoming Seoul’s number one in 2024, proving time and again that he was the right man between the sticks for the club.

Bruno Silva was the hero for Seoul in the playoff finals against Jeonbuk. He was on fire during the first half of the season and left a lasting impact. However, his move to Suwon has soured many fans’ opinions of the striker, particularly because the Brazilian joined a team that could be considered a rival in the K League 2.

Fresh Faces and Big Hopes for 2025

Seoul E-Land have already been busy in their 2025 recruitment efforts. It all started with the promotion of 20-year-old Son Hyeok-chan from their youth team to the main squad. This is a significant inclusion, as Hyeok-chan has been part of the Leopards since the U12 setup. As Seoul E-Land becomes more established in the K League, it will not be surprising to see more homegrown talents grace Leoul Park.

The next few signings include Yoon Seok-ju from Pohang Steelers, Kwak Seung-min from Jeju United (now Jeju SK), and 20-year-old Sin Seong-hak.While Seoul may have lost Moon Jeong-in to Ulsan HD, they acquired Kim Ju-hwan from the K League 1 side.

Touching on the goalkeeping situation: with Seoul losing two first-team keepers of Moon Jeong-in and Yoon Bo-sang, the Leopards needed a sturdy replacement. Their solution was signing Nu Dong-geon, a player who knows boss Kim Do-kyun well, as they worked together at Suwon FC.

Osmar will play the 2025 K League 2 season with Seoul E-Land once again.

Dong-geon was not the only player Seoul signed from Suwon FC. They also brought in defender Kwak Yoon-ho. The added bonus of signing the 29-year-old is that he has just completed his military service, making him a reliable asset for the club without any distractions.

Moving on to Seoul's foreign quota for 2025: Osmar triggered his 1+1 contract deal with the Leopards, meaning he will remain with the team for one more year.

Other new signings include Italo, who spent half of last season at Daegu FC. The forward recorded two goals in nine appearances since his move to Daegu last summer. Known as a bit of a journeyman, Seoul will now be his 15th team in his career and his 19th move, including loans.

Italo who played the 2024 K League season with Daegu FC signed for Seoul E-Land.

Seoul also signed 22-year-old Pedrinho from Brazilian Serie B side Ceará SC. A versatile player who can operate on either wing, Pedrinho is expected to bring the pace that Seoul struggled to find in 2024. The big signing for Seoul during this transfer window that turned heads, was including Australian national team player John Iredale to the team. With experience in the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, fans will hope that he can fill the gap left by Bruno Silva.

Finally, Seoul took advantage of the new foreign player quota of allowing five overseas players by aquiring the services of Elosman Euller Silva Cavalcanti. The 30 year old winger has experience in his home country of Brazil, as well as Europe and Asia, in Saudi Arabia and Japan. Could Euller be the final piece to the puzzle for Seoul E-Land this season?

We saw in the past that Seoul have a track record of bringing in relatively unknown players into the team who end up having a great season for the Leopards, fans will hope that Euller is another player to add to that list.

Warmth, Work, and Winter Prep: Seoul’s Pre-Season Journey

As in previous years, Seoul E-Land sent their squad to the warmth of Thailand for the first leg of their preseason training in January. The club will spend three weeks in Bangkok, preparing for the year ahead.

Seoul E-land start their pre season tour in Bangkok, Thailand.

The second leg of preseason will take the Leopards back to the cold of Korea, where they will spend two weeks in Changwon.

One result that have came out of Bangkok was a 1-1 draw with Jeonnam Dragons. A team they managed to progress past in the playoff semi finals back in November.

Stylish in Seoul

On February 5th, Seoul E-Land unveiled their new shirts for the upcoming season. Both the home and away kits feature a pinstriped design with 11 stripes, symbolizing each year the club has been part of the K League. For the home shirt, the club has placed the badge in the center for the first time in its history, once again showing that the Leopards are open to change and trying new things.

The home and away shirts for Seoul E-Land in 2025. Image Via (Seoul E-Land)

On February 5th, Seoul E-Land unveiled their new shirts for the upcoming season. Both the home and away kits feature a pinstriped design with 11 stripes, symbolizing each year the club has been part of the K League. For the home shirt, the club has placed the badge in the center for the first time in its history, once again showing that the Leopards are open to change and trying new things.

The away shirt also introduces some new elements. Inspired by other teams' around the world second and third kits, Seoul has replaced the traditional badge with the club’s emblem of a Leopard on the chest. Both shirts retain the signature leopard-print, a now-iconic feature of past Seoul E-Land designs as well as a collor which was used back in 2022 and in 2024.

Can the Leopards Match Their Rivals?

In 2024, Seoul had a rather young squad, and some argued this might have been the reason behind their inability to take that extra step toward promotion. With an average age of 25, the team may need more experience to climb the table and achieve promotion. Seoul will be the third-youngest team in the league this year, just behind Suwon and Ansan Greeners.

As another fundamental K League 1 side, Incheon United, makes the drop to the K League 2, it is apparent that the division is only going to get more challenging. Not only that, but Suwon Samsung Bluewings seem to have opened their war chest this year to secure promotion. They have acquired Bruno Silva from Seoul, as well as Ilyuchenko, an established K League player.

Leandro makes his return to the K League 2, signing for Jeonnam Dragons.

Jeonnam Dragons continue their trend of signing ex-Seoul E-Land players as they recruit Leandro and Ronan to their squad. This also coincides with Seoul's 2023 star Bruno departing the Dungeon. Their link-up with Valdivia will surely make life interesting for the Dragons this year.

Other teams, such as Chungnam Asan, Bucheon 1995 FC, and Gyeongnam, will also be ones to watch as they strengthen their squads for the upcoming season.

With the transfer window far from closed, it seems clear that teams will only continue to bolster their squads for the year ahead. The quality of the K League 2 has undoubtedly improved in recent years, thanks to the plethora of talent entering the division.

Will 2025 Finally Be Seoul’s Breakthrough Year?

One would hope that 2024 was not just a fluke for Seoul E-Land and that they can build on their triumphs from last year. We saw with FC Anyang that promotion often takes a few years, with multiple playoff appearances before success is achieved.

Fans will hope that Seoul continues to establish themselves as a formidable side in the K League 2. Unfortunately, in the past, we have seen teams perform well in one season only to flop the next. The Leopards will aim to break that curse and finally reach the summit of the mountain they so narrowly missed last year.