2026 Season Preview: Ansan Greeners | OneFootball

From being the basement club, the Green Wolves will be looking to shirk off a dismal 2025 season, and kick-on with a new manager and new signings. However, budget restrictions, and a large new squad gel together gives Choi Moon-sik one of the most difficult tasks in the league.

Last Season

5 W- 12 D -22 L, 14th (K League 2)

What Happened?

A plethora of issues both on-field and off began before the season had even started. The end of the 2024 season saw almost the entire squad jettisoned, meaning 2025 kicked off with a brand-new squad save for a few veterans. It did see the reintroduction of foreign players into the side, after having zero the previous season, although they had minimal impact on the squad with Jefferson and Lapa being the closest to regulars. Number 9 Luan Santos found himself being released mid-season demonstrating the lack of strategy behind the reconstruction of the squad. That said, this was a relative shoestring budget with Ansan spending just 70% of the next nearest lowest spenders on player wages, Hwaseong, and spending less than a fifth of that splashed out by league champions Incheon.

Matters were not helped by what has become an annual event at the Wa Stadium: A managerial change. Blue Wings legend, Lee Kwan-woo managed to make it to September before departing after a dismal 4-0 defeat at Seongnam. Hong Seong-yo stepped in as interim, and a few results looked to give the Greeners hope that a first basement finish could be avoided, however he was sidelined when new permanent manager Choi Moon-sik took the reigns for the final game of the season.  The Pohang legend had not managed in Korea since a stint at Daejeon in 2015-16. It was not a great advertisement for a brighter 2026 season, as Ansan were downed 6-0 in Mokdong.

Jang Min-jun celebrates with Im Ji-min after scoring in Busan

Notable Moves

While the squad has had more continuity than the previous year's near total clear-out, there were some notable departures. Kim Hyun-tae was snapped up by K2 newcomers Paju frontier, after a relatively productive season for the Greeners. The versatile player was capable of playing in defence or midfield and demonstrated his attacking prowess by accounting for a fifth of all Ansan's goals last season, albeit that includes a first ever league hat trick for a Greeners player when he put three past Hwaseong. Jang Min-jun departed for Hwaseong, having had a fairly solid season in a poor back-line. Capable of turning over play quickly, he also popped up with a few goals, and would have provided some defensive continuity.

With defensive departures being of concern, Ansan have reinforced that position with the addition of Tim Hartzell from Vasteras SK in the Swedish second division. He is joined by Yeon Jei-min from Hwaseong, and Milan Obradovic who joins from Qatari second tier side Muaither SC. Perhaps the biggest signing is South Sudanese international and former Atlanta United striker Machop Chol. As always, there are big questions marks over how well these players will gel together, especially with over twenty inbound players, but the Greeners will be hoping for a little more solidity at the back, and a lot more bite in attack this season.

Key Player

Cho Ji-hun

The well-travelled K League veteran was a key player in the heart of Ansan's defence and will take the captains armband for the coming season. He proved to be Ansan's most productive players last season, with a 92% pass completion rate, and contributed a goal and a couple of assists in his 36 appearances. He picked up the player of the season award from the Verdor supporters group and came a close second in the Ansan Foreign Supporters poll, and Wa-goers will be looking for Cho to lead the side up the league table this season.

Cho Ji-hun wrestles with Incheon United's Stefan Mugosa

Young Player to Watch

Choi Dan

The 18-year-old joins from Shinpyeong High School, known for producing talent, and Choi has stood out with his strong positional player and ability to play at left back and central midfield. He featured in recent Coupang Play show Next Legend, and there will be a spotlight on the youngster this season as Ansan hope that he fulfils his potential.

Biggest Question

Have Ansan got the right manager?

There has been one constant in an Ansan season of late, that mid-season the manager will resign, an interim will take charge for a period, and then a new manager is appointed. This happened yet again last season, with one slight caveat being that the new appointment came in for the last match, and that was a 6-0 defeat. With a high player turnover, low budget, and an inauspicious start, Choi Moon-sik will need to bring this team together quickly if he hopes to finally forge a managerial career to match the accolades of his playing one.

Reason to Watch

Ansan have become the perennial underdogs, with a bit of history lurking beneath the surface of the Wa Stadium, beyond the 2017 on the club crest. Forecast to have the lowest budget again, clearly Ansan are not a team for someone who wants to get behind a winning side, however they have a small but dedicated fanbase, with multiple independent fan products across the Youtube and Podcast scene, there is a strong core community at the Wa. So, if you like an underdog... or 'underwolf,' the Greeners might be worth getting behind, because whenever they do pull off a win, it is a howl of a party!