Incheon United’s Road to Redemption: A New Era Begins | OneFootball

Incheon United's first-ever relegation last year was an unprecedented disaster for the club and the city. Much has been written and discussed about how and why the relegation happened, and the repercussions may yet be felt for years to come. But as the club embarks on its attempt to return to the top flight, this season may offer an opportunity to find some positives. It is always darkest before the dawn, as the old saying goes.

A Cultural Change

For the last 18 months or more, the team has been plagued by tactics that have led to insipid, ineffective football. The squad that was relegated was almost identical to the one that finished fifth in K League 1 the previous year. Mid-season, manager Jo Sung-hwan left the club and was replaced by Choi Young-geun. Unfortunately, the decision came too late and changed very little, as the rot had already set in.

Fast forward to December, and conflicting rumours about Choi's future circulated online. Eventually, he left the club ahead of the team's departure for winter training in Thailand.

With other K League teams also searching for managers, the market was competitive, and available quality seemed thin on the ground. Step forward the newly unemployed Yoon Jong-hwan, only weeks previously named the 2024 K League 1 Coach of the Year after guiding Gangwon to second place. His arrival at Incheon seemed like a coup at the time and still feels too good to be true now.

Last year, Gangwon were known for their fast, attacking football and their willingness to give youth a chance. The world has since learned the name of Yang Min-hyeok, who, a year ago, was virtually unknown outside Gangwon FC fans. He made his debut on the opening weekend of 2024 and, by summer, was selected for the K League Best XI. It’s likely that under other K League managers, his chances would have been more limited, and his eventual move to Europe might still be a distant dream.

If Yoon can bring a similar style to Incheon and incorporate more of the club's youngsters into the first team, fans could be in for a fun season of attacking football and goals.

Big Names Retained

With the end of the season in K League comes the end of player contracts. Given last season's relegation, Incheon fans worried that there would be wholesale changes, with many established players opting to explore their options elsewhere. However, this has not proven to be the case, as the majority of those you might describe as Incheon's "key players" have stayed.

Stefan Mugoša, now closing in on a decade in K League, has recently stated that he wants to retire at Incheon. Gerso Fernandes had offers from teams within K League and China but has also remained with Incheon this year. He cited the opportunity to work with new coach Yoon Jong-hwan as one of his motivating factors. Harrison Delbridge is another who has committed to the club for 2025.

Among the Korean contingent, Lee Myoung-joo has spoken about how hurt the players were following last year's relegation and how he is taking responsibility for returning Incheon to the top division. Moon Ji-hwan, coveted by Seoul in the close season, along with Kim Do-hyeok and Shin Jin-ho, all remain to provide strength, depth, and experience in midfield.

Several players from last season, some long-serving, have departed, but their exits create opportunities for new talent. Choi Woo-jin made his debut for new club Jeonbuk Hyundai this past weekend in a 2-1 victory over Gimcheon Sangmu. Matej Jonjić left Incheon in December and returned to Japan to sign for Tochigi. In recent days, Polo M'Poku has signed for Romanian SuperLiga team UTA Arad. Jeong Dong-yoon joined Suwon Bluewings after seven years at Incheon, Song Si-woo moved to Gyeongnam, and Kwon Han-jin joined Busan as a player-coach. Oh Ban-seok and Kim Jun-yeop also departed and are currently without clubs.

Familiar Faces, New Opponents

Looking down the list of fixtures for Incheon this year, there is a good mix of first-time meetings and renewed rivalries.

The biggest name in K League 2, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, have long been Incheon's rivals, with games between the two clubs often tense, combative, and dramatic. The clubs have traded wins in previous years while both were battling relegation from K League 1. Recent results favour Incheon—the Blue-Black are unbeaten in three—but Suwon have historically dominated this fixture, with 19 wins to Incheon's nine. Suwon visit Incheon on 2nd March for Round 2.

Seongnam FC have had a tough few years since being relegated from K League 1 in 2022. However, this is another club with a long history with Incheon in K League 1. The teams have traded wins over the years, but Seongnam hold a slim advantage, with 12 wins to Incheon's 10 in head-to-head meetings. "Seongnam won the most recent meeting 3-1 in July 2022. Seongnam face Incheon on 9th March in Incheon's first away game.

Busan I'Park are not typically Incheon's rivals, but this match will see former Incheon boss Jo Sung-hwan in charge of The Royals. The first meeting between the teams will be at Sungui at the end of March, and Jo should receive a warm reception. That aside, he will surely be eager to get one over on his former employers.

The clubs have not met since the penultimate day of the 2020 season, when two late Incheon goals helped them leapfrog Busan in the standings, leaving Busan bottom of the league going into the final game. They were relegated that year and have yet to return to the top flight. Busan travel to Incheon on 29th March in Round 5.

Bucheon FC 1995 are Incheon's closest opponents, but the clubs have never met in a competitive game. Just a 26-minute subway ride apart, they will face each other for the first time in Bucheon on 26th April.

Meanwhile, Incheon will face several teams for the first time in competitive matches this year, including Seoul Eland, Hwaseong FC, Cheongju FC, and Cheonan City. They will also take on Gimpo FC, Chungnam Asan, and Ansan Greeners for the first time."

[LISTEN: K League 2 Season Preview]

A Home Advantage

Incheon start with seven home games out of ten, and with an extended standing section this year, these early-season matches could provide the best opportunity to begin life in the second division strongly. With crowds averaging over ten thousand people last year, that support will be vital as the players look to get early points on the board. Additionally, the potential for large crowds and plenty of noise could prove advantageous, as many teams in the division play in community stadiums where fans are far from the pitch and attendances are often low.

Only Suwon Bluewings posted five-figure attendances in K League 2 last year, with an average of 10,362 fans per game. Champions Anyang were second-best, with just over half of that, at 5,250. With Suwon's excellent support, the league average was 3,800 people per game. When removing this outlier, the average attendance was closer to 3,200 fans.

With such a distinct contrast in attendances, Incheon’s strong backing could be a decisive factor in the opening rounds. If they can capitalise on their home support, they may establish themselves as early promotion contenders.