1st-place Ulsan remain undefeated as K League 1 enters spring break

▲ Valeri Qazaishvili of Ulsan Hyundai (C) is congratulated by teammate Um Won-sang after scoring a goal against Daegu FC during the clubs' K League 1 match at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on April 9, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Mo Barrow of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors celebrates his goal against Seongnam FC during the clubs' K League 1 match at Tancheon Sports Complex in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on April 9, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Joo Min-kyu of Jeju United celebrates his goal against Incheon United during the clubs' K League 1 match at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on April 10, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

football-season

1st-place Ulsan remain undefeated as K League 1 enters spring break

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- The calendar has flipped twice since the 2022 K League 1 football season kicked off, and one thing has remained unchanged.

Ulsan Hyundai FC are still without a loss this year.

Ulsan are sitting pretty atop the K League 1 tables with seven wins and two draws. Ulsan's latest win came Saturday, when they rallied past Daegu FC 3-1.

With 23 points, Ulsan lead Incheon United by five points as the K League 1 enters a monthlong spring break. The season will resume on May 5, while Ulsan, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Daegu FC compete in the group stage for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. Jeonnam Dragons of the K League 2 will also be in the top Asian club tournament but the second-tier domestic league will proceed as usual without Jeonnam.

Incheon have been the biggest early season surprise so far but failed to keep pace with Ulsan, blowing a late lead and settling for a 2-2 draw with Jeju United on Sunday.

Now lurking in fourth place after a dismal start are Jeonbuk, the five-time defending champions. They have won three straight matches to improve to four wins, two draws and three losses for the season. They still trail Ulsan by nine points, though there is still too much football left this season to entirely dismiss Jeonbuk's chances of a historic sixth consecutive title.

Sandwiched between Incheon and Jeonbuk are Pohang Steelers, in third place with 15 points. Few coaches have been able to do more with less than Pohang's Kim Gi-dong, and the 2020 K League Coach of the Year is at it again this year, putting the no-name club inside the top three through the first two months of the campaign.

There is a crowded middle class. Jeju sit one point back of Jeonbuk in fifth place at 13 points, with Gimcheon Sangmu FC right behind them at 12 points in sixth place.

Then three clubs are knotted at 10 points. Suwon FC are holding down seventh place thanks to their goals scored tiebreak edge over Gangwon FC and FC Seoul.

Gangwon FC and FC Seoul have the identical record with two wins, four draws and three losses and have each scored 10 and conceded 10.

Seongnam FC are bringing up the rear with five points from one win, two draws and six losses. They picked up their first win of the season on April 3 but then dropped the next two matches by a combined score of 7-0.

While teams such as Ulsan and Jeonbuk will get to see how their recent form holds up against other Asian clubs at the AFC Champions League, Seongnam will be doing some soul searching during the break. Their head coach Kim Nam-il had hinted at resigning following a 3-0 loss to Gimcheon last Wednesday but said three days later that the team's management wanted him to stay put.

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