Ulsan HD's schedule so far after arriving in U.S. for Club World Cup

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K League United

·11. Juni 2025

Ulsan HD's schedule so far after arriving in U.S. for Club World Cup

Ulsan HD are in the midst of intensive preparations in the U.S. Ulsan arrived in Charlotte, USA on the 6th (local time), where the team has set up basecamp ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.

On the first day, they focused on recovery from travel fatigue through light stretching exercises, and from the 7th, they began full-field training at their official training facility. Following the same routine as in Korea, they are combining indoor activation sessions (muscle warm-up and stretching) with on-field training, taking every precaution to manage player injuries and conditioning.

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On the third day of training (8th), an unexpected incident occurred when sudden heavy rain and lightning forced a temporary halt to training. According to a U.S. safety regulation known as the ‘8 Mile Lightning Rule’, when lightning strikes within 8 miles (approximately 13km), all personnel must remain in a safe area indoors for 30 minutes. Although it unfortunately brought training to an abrupt end, it provided an opportunity for the players to escape from the intense heat with temperatures exceeding 30°C and scorching sunshine and recharge.

On the fourth day of training (9th), training resumed without any interruptions and lasted for nearly two hours. So far, the team is adapting well to the local environment with no players missing out.

The players are now turning their focus to match sharpness and organization. On June 10th (11th Korea time), Ulsan play a friendly match against Major League Soccer (MLS) team Charlotte FC.

Like the K League, MLS currently follows a spring-to-fall calendar, meaning the league is currently in full swing and the level of competition is high.

While Ulsan initially hoped to arrange friendlies with other Club World Cup participants, the continental nature of the tournament made the logistics of traveling between basecamps challenging. As a result, Charlotte FC, a team in season and in good form, was selected as an ideal sparring partner, minimizing travel fatigue while providing a solid test.

Founded in 2019 and debuting in MLS in 2022, Charlotte is a young but steadily rising mid-to-upper table team. With an attack-minded manager and strong player recruitment to match his philosophy, they are aiming for their first major title.

Currently sitting in 8th place in the Eastern Conference, they are in a strong position to qualify for the playoffs, having finished 5th last season and securing a playoff berth. In their most recent match before the international break, they defeated Toronto FC 2–0.

Charlotte is currently managed by English coach Dean Smith, who has previously managed Brentford, Aston Villa, Norwich City, and Leicester City, having taken charge of Charlotte in 2023. With an away match against Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union scheduled for the 14th, this practice match against Ulsan is expected to hold significant meaning for his side.

A notable point of interest is the presence of several players at Charlotte with strong ties to Ulsan legend Lee Chung-yong.

Central defender Tim Ream shared four years with Lee at Bolton Wanderers, his first EPL team. It will be interesting to see if the American veteran will share tips on adapting to the local environment and insider information about Club World Cup participants, such as Seattle Sounders, Inter Miami, and LAF,C with Lee during their reunion.

Winger Wilfried Zaha, who leads the attack, was loaned to Charlotte from Turkish club Galatasaray ahead of this season. Lee Chung-yong and Zaha played together at Crystal Palace from 2015 to 2018. Zaha has continued to demonstrate his quality this season with 4 goals and 2 assists in 15 appearances.

FIFA Club World Cup Kit

Ahead of their departure for the international stage, Ulsan unveiled their Club World Cup kit featuring the official FIFA tournament patch, fueling even more excitement ahead of the competition.

The overall design is the same as Ulsan's current K League kit, but several key details make the Club World Cup edition stand out.

Most notably, the right sleeve features a golden circular official FIFA Club World Cup patch. The emblem, containing the tournament’s trophy, prominently uses gold, the symbolic color of the event, to reflect the prestige of the premier global club competition.

On the left sleeve is the logo of Ulsan's official sponsor, ‘DEVELON’, which is a product of HD Hyundai Infracore, while the front of the jersey continues to feature HD Hyundai as the main sponsor, as it does in the K League.

Additionally, in line with FIFA tournament regulations, the five stars above the club emblem, which symbolize Ulsan’s league titles, have been removed. All advertising on the back of the kit has also been removed, giving the jersey a sleeker, cleaner look.

Adidas, Ulsan’s kit sponsor, have added a bold touch to the clean design with its sharp English lettering and number font, giving the kit a striking visual edge.

The Club World Cup kit went on sale online via Ulsan's official store, UHD SHOP, at 5pm on Friday, May 30th. Offline sales began the following day (Saturday, May 31st) at the UHD SHOP’s UP Square store in Nam-gu, Ulsan.

As they step onto the international stage, Ulsan have also launched international shipping for overseas fans. The Club World Cup kit can be delivered not only throughout the United States, where the tournament will be held, but also to the countries of Ulsan’s Group F opponents, Germany (Borussia Dortmund) and Brazil (Fluminense).