K-League Derby composition 'perceptual change'...A new round was held due to Anyang promotion and Incheon relegation
K-League Derby composition 'perceptual change'...A new round was held due to Anyang promotion and Incheon relegation
Blog Article
The K-League in the 2025 season has reorganized its derby structure with FC Anyang's first K-League 1 promotion since its foundation and Incheon United's K-League 2 relegation. With the birth of a new rival match, fans' expectations are even greater as the existing derby faces a new phase.
The derby that attracts the most attention this season is by far the first showdown between FC Seoul and FC Anyang in the K League 1. FC Seoul was founded in 2004 when Anyang LG Cheetas relocated to Seoul, and Anyang has since re-established itself as a team of citizens. As Anyang was promoted to the top division by winning the K League 2 title in the 2024 season, the two teams will face off in the same league for the first time in 21 years.
In addition, the philosophical confrontation between the corporate team and the civic team is also the background of the derby. FC Seoul has established itself as a league powerhouse through stable investment and star player recruitment, and FC Anyang has maintained its own color by uniting a regional fan base.
The first face-off will be held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 22nd. FC Anyang fans are burning Liberley with the derby name "36 Derby." Choi Dae-ho, the owner of FC Anyang, said, "In the past, Seoul abandoned Anyang and ran away with 36 lines. We have to catch and smash Seoul, which ran away, to relieve the anger."
In the K League 2, the "032 Derby" will be revived when Incheon United and Bucheon FC 1995 face each other. The 032 Derby originated from the fact that Incheon and Bucheon use the same fixed-line phone area code in the past. It was a name that used to refer to the competition between Incheon and Bucheon SK (now Jeju United) since the foundation of Incheon United in 2003. Now, the name will be reborn as a competition between Incheon and Bucheon FC 1995.
Incheon and Bucheon were administrative districts in the past, and the name Bucheon itself is a combination of Bupyeong and Incheon. The two cities are connected by Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1, Incheon Urban Railroad Line 1, and Seoul Subway Line 7, so the living areas overlap, and this close relationship adds special meaning to Derby.
When Incheon United was founded in 2003, the conflict began due to the departure of fans living in Incheon who supported the existing Bucheon SK. Since then, Bucheon SK moved to Jeju and was reborn as Bucheon FC 1995, a civic club, forming a new rivalry.
Competition between the two fandom has extended to everyday areas, especially at Songnae Station, fans of both teams engaged in a fierce war of nerves over the attachment of promotional posters for the game. Furthermore, in 2011, Incheon United tried to run a youth soccer class in Bucheon, but it was canceled due to strong opposition from Bucheon fans. Since then, when Incheon posted a promotional material for the game in the city center of Bucheon, the rival consciousness of the two cities has been expressed in various forms outside the soccer field, such as advancing to Bupyeong-gu Office Station on Line 7 in response to Bucheon-si City Hall and installing promotional banners.
Before this season, however, Incheon was in the first division and Bucheon was in the second division, so the previous two teams' matches could only be seen through the Cup. The first showdown, which will often be seen in the same league, will take place at Bucheon Stadium on Apr. 26.
After Suwon Samsung's second-division relegation last season, it came down to the K League 2 this season to Incheon, and the "Suinseon Derby" will also be re-seen. The name Suinseon is derived from the railway line connecting Suwon and Incheon, symbolizing the soccer match between the cities through which this line passes. In particular, both teams will meet in the K League 2 this season, which is expected to lead to a more fierce competition in line with the promotion competition.
Suwon Samsung displayed the most aggressive moves in the transfer market this winter, displaying strong commitment to return to the top division. It strengthened its front line by recruiting Ilyuchenko, who played for FC Seoul, as a free agent, and hired Bruno Silva, who scored 12 goals and seven assists in 27 games last season from Seoul E-Land, adding sharpness to its side attacks. It recruited Lee Min-hyuk, who was proven in Jeonbuk and Gyeongnam, to the midfield, and Kwon Wan-kyu, a veteran FC Seoul center back, to the defense, to sharpen its performance.
Incheon United is reorganizing its team after being demoted to the K League 2. It has cleared up veterans who had a heavy salary burden, and is now devising new power plans centering on young players. Notably, it is striving to find promising players in consideration of the U-22 requirement, and is focusing on immediately beefing up efforts by recruiting players with extensive experience in the second division. 스포츠토토
Derby in the K-League in the 2025 season, a mixture of resentment before the base, the history of administrative districts, and ambitions for promotion, are foreshadowing a hotter game than ever.