Sungnam Will Continue Winning Streak?

It is the last pro soccer games held before the Thanksgiving holiday. 5 games of K League will be held on Sep. 18. Finishing these games, most teams of K League wrap up the two rounds of the total three rounds.

▽ Winning Streak, Sungnam = In the last 7 games, Sungnam has won 6 games (1 loss). It will take on Chonam Dragons at its home stadium. Now Sungnam is leading the race, 9 winning points away from Ahnyang ranking 2nd.

Kim Dae-hee, whose nickname is a “man on the bullet,” has contributed to the winning streak of Sungnam with his excellence performance (4 goals and 4 assists in the last 7 games). Many people are wondering whether Sungnam could beat Chonam where “Vacuum Cleaner” Kim Nam-il leads the defense line. Kim Nam-il is determined to win since his team after his joining has not won a game (2 draws and 2 losses). If Sungnam wins this game, it will be safe to say that Sungnam will grab the championship.

▽ Competition for most scorer title among Korean players = While “Tall Striker” Woo Sung-yong of Busan Icons has kept “silence” in the past three games, “Bomber” Kim Do-hoon (Chonbook, Hyundai) and “Lucky Guy” Shin Byung-ho (Chonnam) have caught up closely. Woo has recorded 10 goals, Kim 8 and Shin 7. Especially Kim is on a steep rise. In the last 8 games, he has amazingly scored 7 goals, and is aiming at winning the title for most scores. Woo will play in the away game against Ahnyang, and Kim in a home game against Bucheon SK. Shin, whose goal in Sep. 11 game against Chonbook evoked a handling dispute, will face Kim of Sungnam.

▽ Thirsty of Winning = Daejun Citizens will take on Suwon at home. The current record of Daejun is 1 win, 8 draws and 8 losses. In the last 9 games, it recorded 4 ties and 5 losses. If it losses the upcoming game, it will leave a shameful record of 10-game losing streak. Even worse for it is Lee Kwan-woo’s inability to play in the upcoming game due to the number of yellow cards he has received. In addition, its striker Kim Eun-jung is now in the national team for the Asian Games.

Bucheon is also longing for a win. After sending out Choi Yoon-kyum to another team, and taking in a Turkish coach in his place, it has recorded three ties in a row in the past three games. Chonbook is not an easy team for the Turkish coach to pull out a victory against.

Sung-Won Joo swon@donga.com