26.19 That Was Unexpected

Tonight, Seoul face a Gyeongju team with 5 wins and a draw from their last six matches. But as I’ve now learned, form means nothing when Seoul are playing. Still, I expect to see Gyeongju win tonight.

Back Home

Seoul missed a great opportunity to strengthen their league position when they visited an out-of-form Mungyeong. I watched that match online while on holiday, having only returned to Korea yesterday afternoon. During the journey home, I crossed seven time zones and slept very little. I managed to get a full night’s sleep last night, but I’m still tired and jet-lagged, and my concentration isn't what it should be.

Gogga joins me again today. The plan was to get kimbab from inside the main stadium and have a beer outside the GS25 before going to the game, but somehow we arrived later than expected. We are eating at the stadium tonight.

Few Usual Suspects

A few of the usual supporters are here, including a small group of women I’ve seen a few times now. I recognise them because one of them always wears a Manchester City shirt.

There are also shirts hung on the railing again. Initially, I think they’re the same as the ones from the last match, but they’re actually for a different player and from a different supporter. The shirts are for No. 8, Bak Ye-eun. She spent five years playing for Gyeongju before a short stint in the UK with Brighton and Hove Albion, then Hearts of Midlothian. She returned for a year with Incheon before joining Seoul. She has also been a regular in the national team, although you have to wonder if that is still the case now while she’s playing for Seoul.

Speaking of shirts, Incheon Man has news about our replica shirts. Hummel will print them with our chosen names and numbers, and it will cost us only half what you would pay for a shirt from a big team like FC Seoul. He is, of course, at the match tonight. He keeps telling us he’s sick and shouldn’t come, but here he is, again. Legend.

A Pleasant Evening

The temperature is not as stifling as it has been over the last few weeks, and the light breeze blowing through the stadium is delightful. It’s a pleasant evening, and the players dont look as taxed as they’ve been recently.

The match on the field is a fun back and forth, but the Gyeongju attack looks more dangerous. Seoul manages to resist, but I fully expect them to crumble in the final 15 minutes, as is common with struggling teams. Against all expectations, Seoul absorb the Gyeongju attacks and earns a draw. There are a few scary moments, but Gyeongju looked surprisingly tame when it mattered.

Three For One

After the match, the players take off their shoes and sit down in a circle. They eventually get up to thank the supporters, but why on earth they don’t just quickly do it before goofing off is beyond me.

Why does this team seem so generally blasé towards their supporters? As much as I dislike flopping between teams, I can’t help but wonder if I would have been better off supporting Suwon this season. It takes to Suwon as it does to Seoul, and they actually seem to appreciate people turning up every week to watch them. I am seriously considering changing teams next season.

With the post-match meeting complete, they pose for a team photo and a small ceremony for three players: No. 18 Kim Jeong-mi, No. 26 Im Seon-ju and No. 27 Lee Chae-yun. I don’t recall any announcement about the celebration, and I only learned about it when the team posted the photos on Instagram a few days later.

At first, I’m confused about why Kim Jeong-mi, who has been playing for more than 20 years, has only 350 appearances. Then I remember that goalkeepers often spend their first few seasons sitting on the sideline, watching the first-choice keeper do all the work.

Interestingly, all three players joined Seoul from Incheon this season.

Out In The Mountains

The following week, Seoul travelled to Hwacheon, a team arguably even stronger than Gyeongju. Their recent record is similar to Geongju, though.

Hwacheon controlled the game for most of the 90 minutes. But Seoul held on and even managed a few shots on target. The star of the match was definitely goalkeeper Kim Jeong-mi. She was diving and blocking like a boss, generally just being a wall in front of the goal and preventing Hwacheon from getting the victory everyone expected. She definitely deserved her inclusion in the Round 21 Queen of the Week voting.