Incheon United is the only professional football provincial and civic team that has no experience in relegation to the second division. There were many relegation crises in many seasons, but it always rebounded and remained dramatically. The modifier “survival king” has now become a symbol of Incheon.
The situation is different this season, however. There are already concerns over whether this year will be tough. The current ranking is 31 points (7 wins, 10 draws, 13 losses), the lowest among the 12 teams in the K League 1 스포츠토토. The ranking has plummeted to the second division without any promotion or playoff.
As the gap with ninth-ranked Daegu FC (34 points) is only three points, it is possible to escape from the relegation zone quickly, but various situations are not very good. In particular, in the last 30 rounds, other relegation teams such as Daejeon, Jeonbuk Hyundai, and Daegu FC won all at once, while only Incheon lost alone, increasing the sense of crisis. Daejeon has continued its unbeaten streak in six games and Jeonbuk has been on the rise in four games, while Daegu has also drawn a clear upward curve with three wins, one draw and one loss in the last five games. Incheon, which has only one win and three losses, is the opposite of other relegation teams.
Analysts say that the move is an inevitable fall. Due to budget issues, players lost power in the transfer market last summer, not to mention strengthening their capabilities, and veterans’ sluggish performance that should take center stage at too late a managerial change. This is why some say that a dark cloud of demotion is looming over Incheon.
Amid the desperate need to change the atmosphere, he will meet the leader Ulsan HD. It will be the 31st round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at 7 p.m. on the 22nd at Incheon Football Stadium. Ulsan also needs points to beat Gangwon FC’s pursuit. If it fails to cross Ulsan, the gap with other teams in the relegation zone may widen. Of course, the atmosphere will be further subdued as the recent sluggish trend has been prolonged.
On the contrary, if it catches the ankle of the leader Ulsan, the atmosphere can change at once. In the meantime, there have been games that serve as turning points even when Incheon demonstrates its instinct to become the king of survival, but this year, it could be the match against Ulsan. Incheon has shown a natural enemy with two wins and three draws against Ulsan in their K-League showdowns. Both home and away matches have been drawn in two showdowns this season.
Eventually, Incheon’s fate and relegation zone structure could change depending on how it overcomes the crisis in the match against Ulsan. Although it is inferior in terms of objective strength, it cannot be ignored because it had strong momentum against Ulsan. This is a crisis and opportunity for Incheon, which is on the brink of collapse.
