The Sideline Notes: 26.7 - Streaming On The Tubes #1

It was a busy week for the WK League. Round 5 was played on Saturday, Round 6 on Tuesday, and Round 7 on the following Friday and Saturday. Despite Tuesday being a public holiday, we did not attend the away match in Gyeongju because it was not a feasible single-day trip. The Friday match in Gyeongju is close enough, but with a 4-hour trip, I will arrive just before the final whistle, if I'm lucky. The annoying thing about this match is that all other matches in the round were played on Saturday. I would have liked to go to Hwacheon and possibly stay overnight in Chuncheon. Unable to reach either match, I had to watch the live stream on YouTube. It's not bad because that is how I watched most of the Changnyeong matches last season. I suspect I'll watch as many as 40% of the matches on YouTube this season.

Round 6

The Tuesday match was Seoul away at Gyeongju, the only team lower than Seoul on the league table. The two teams were separated by a single point, but Seoul had one win, and Gyeongju were still looking for their first. Historically speaking, Gyeongju is a top-half team that fights for a playoff place every season. Seeing them at the bottom of the league is a strange sight. Needless to say, with only one point separating the two teams, both were desperate for a victory.

When comparing the positions where Seoul players played in previous matches, you will notice that most players can play defence and midfield, or midfield and forward. Some players can even play on either wing. The goalkeeper position is, of course, rarely a utility player. For this match, Seoul’s backup keeper was in the starting lineup. She did well, but I was most impressed by her ability to kick the ball back into play from her box almost all the way to the opposition box.

The first half of the match looked messy. Neither team seemed particularly dangerous, with both sides making plenty of stray passes and trying wayward shots at goal. At least both teams were putting in the effort. I know it's still early season, but I've seen teams give up even earlier than this.

Both teams returned for the second half, intent on opening and speeding up the game. The game flow improved, and with more space came more passes to run onto, leading to the only goal scored in the match. Number 9 Gang Tae-Gyeong played the ball down the left wing, allowing number 7 Han Che-Rin to run onto it and slot it past an onrushing goalkeeper. Both sides had a few more attempts at goal, but Gyeongju only started looking dangerous in the last 15 minutes. Seoul left with a 0-1 victory and three desperately needed league points.

In other Round 6 matches, Mungyeong lost to visitors Suwon, and Incheon earned an away victory in Gangjin. The results put Incheon and Mungyeong equal on points again, but Incheon took the top spot with the better goal difference. Sejong lost at home to Hwacheon, but the only change in the standings was at the top.

I don’t watch every match every week, but I dont remember Hwaseong's Choi Yu-Yeong being impressive enough in this match to justify being crowned Queen of the Week, but what do I know?

2026.05.05 - Gyeongju KHNP WFC 0:1 Seoul City Hall Amazones WFC

Round 7

For Round 7, Seoul travelled to Hwacheon. You would be forgiven for being confused when hearing that this was a high-profile matchup, because looking at the league table at the start of the match, they both seemed fairly ordinary. However, Hwacheon finished the 2025 season first in the league with Seoul in second place. A few weeks later, Hwaseon was victorious over Seoul in the Championship Final. For most of the 2025 season, the two teams dominated, regularly swapping for first with the rest just playing for playoff spots. However, entering this match, both teams are struggling. Hwacheon looked like they were starting to find their feet, but despite the win in the previous round, Seoul is still struggling. Part of Seoul's problems is its squad size. They only have 21 players, meaning almost every player is in the starting lineup or on the bench, every single week. Even injured players are still listed as substitutes. With so few players to choose from, it’s not easy to rotate the team and give players a break.

Both teams came off victories in the previous round, and it showed. Both teams look eager and positive, creating an entertaining and well-balanced match. Both teams had good chances, but only Hwacheon managed to score. The match ended 1-0 in favour of Hwacheon, leaving Seoul still languishing near the bottom. Hwacheon, on the other hand, now has three wins in a row and finds itself in the thick of things in the top half of the table.

The rest of the league played on Saturday. Most relevant to Seoul was Gyeongju, which lost again, this time against Suwon. Mungyeong and Incheon faced each other in a top-of-the-table clash. Mungyeong and Suwon's combined victories allowed Mungyeong to sit alone at the top and for Suwon to overtake Incheon. Sejong beat visitors Gangjin, who are looking less fierce than earlier in the season.

It's still early, but if things continue like this, then we will have another season with a distinct top and bottom half. For the last few seasons, the top four teams were established early in the season, and they battled and traded places while the bottom four could only look up and dream.