Incheon’s Cho Sung-hwan “I’m going all-in on ACL with as many wins as possible”
“We will go all-in on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) stage with a desire to get three points in every match,” said Cho Sung-hwan, head coach of professional soccer’s K League 1 Incheon United.
Incheon will host Suwon FC in the 28th round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 at Suwon Sports Complex on the afternoon of the 25th.
After defeating Vietnam’s Hai Phong FC in extra-time in the 2023-2024 AFC ACL Playoffs (PO) at the Incheon Football Stadium on May 22, Incheon qualified for the ACL for the first time in its 20-year history.
Incheon head coach Cho Sung-hwan rested several key players, including Mugosa, Jarso, and Hernandez.
Prior to the game, Cho explained that “physical problems (from the last game’s overtime) could affect today’s game,” but that “we will play the game with a proper balance of physical strength within the available range.”
“If we don’t concede early in the game without them, we will try to create scoring chances through tactical changes or substitutions,” he said.
Incheon will compete in Group G alongside last year’s J-League champions Yokohama (Japan), Shandong (China), and Caya (Philippines) as a result of the ACL group draw held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 24.
“The group draw is not something you can choose,” Cho said, “I think it’s a good grouping for the schedule.”
“The teams in the ACL are all the best teams in their respective countries, so there is no team to take lightly and no team to beat,” he said, adding, “We will do our best to produce good results with a challenging attitude as it is our first time.”
He encouraged defender Kim Gun-hee, who was named to the starting lineup for the first time, saying, “Looking at his substitute appearances in the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup and league, his overall life, training, and practice games, I thought it was the best time for him to start and show what he had prepared.”
Regarding the team’s performance, which is in sixth place with 37 points, he said, “It’s a situation where we have to take three points from every game unconditionally.” “I’m eager to play in the ACL, but before the group stage, I want to accumulate as many points as possible in the three league games and create a situation where I can go all-in for the ACL,” he said. 파워볼사이트
