On the 27th, the Seoul World Cup Stadium was filled with Ulsan fans. It was the size of a league-leading team.온라인바카라

In 2023, the K-League reached its golden age. People who escaped the fear of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) and returned to their daily lives gathered at the stadium. The number of spectators for the K-League 1 Opening Day was 101,623, the highest ever for an opening round, and to this day, it maintains more than 10,000 spectators per game (10,343), maintaining the highest average number of spectators since the reorganization of the promotion and relegation system in 2013.

It is rude to talk about the success of the K-League without mentioning Ulsan. Last year’s league championship was a decisive catalyst. Ulsan reached the top of the K-League 1 after 17 years in the 2022 season, and Ulsan fans who had forgotten soccer for a while also gathered at Munsu Soccer Stadium. 23,817 people against Jeju United, who confirmed the championship, and 20,051 people (including away fans) gathered at Jeonbuk Hyundai, which actually confirmed the championship, and took first and second place with the highest number of spectators last year.

The crowds continued this season as well. The number of spectators who visited Munsu Soccer Stadium for the opening match between Ulsan and Jeonbuk was 2,8039. If Lim Young-woong hadn’t arrived in Seoul in early April, the 2023 record for the most spectators could have been held a little longer. After Seoul (21,941), Ulsan (17,561) was the club with the highest number of spectators per game.

Ulsan fans left Munsu and began to gather in other stadiums one after another. I visited all stadiums, not just traditional rivals Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Stadium. More than 1,000 away fans came to Ulsan in 15 away matches this season, excluding Gangwon FC and Jeju, which are not accessible, and Daegu FC, which originally had few away seats.

This day was no different. From inside the subway heading to Seoul World Cup Stadium, fans in Ulsan uniforms could be seen everywhere. The Wonjeongsuk at Seoul World Cup Stadium was filled with Ulsan fans. As a result of the official count, a total of 5,000 Ulsan away fans visited Seoul. It was the record for the largest number of spectators in Seoul this season, surpassing Jeonbuk’s 4,909, and the largest number of spectators in the K-League.

What is more encouraging is that there are not many away fans from Ulsan. An official from Ulsan said, “There were 141 users of the expedition bus and 5 buses,” and “There are a lot of fans in the metropolitan area.” Even taking into account the fans who unofficially visited Seoul from Ulsan and HD Hyundai group visitors, it can be assumed that there are a significant number of Ulsan fans living in the metropolitan area.

In fact, Ulsan fans often appear at matches of teams in the metropolitan area. In Suwon, 2,353 people gathered on May 21st, the second largest number of away fans after Seoul. It was more than the away fans of local rival Suwon FC. Suwon FC also ranked 2nd in the largest number of visitors, and 4th at Incheon United.

The away fans who visited the Ulsan game supported the team with great cheer. As Lee Dong-kyung induced the crowd to cheer before kicking the corner kick, the cheers of Ulsan fans resonated throughout the stadium. When the referee ruled in favor of Seoul during the game, cheers from Seoul fans and booing from Ulsan fans entwined over the stadium.

Ulsan players also reciprocated the enthusiastic support of Ulsan away fans. In the early part of the first half, Ilyuchenko conceded, but in the 19th and 23rd minutes of the second half Ju Min-gyu’s multi-goals turned the game around. Although he allowed Willian to equalize in extra time in the second half, it was a game that showed why Ulsan dominated the first round this season.

As of the end of the 28th round, Ulsan is in the overwhelming first place with an 11-point gap with Pohang, which is second. It shows the dignity of the top team in the league not only in terms of performance but also in mobilization of spectators. Ulsan fans, regardless of home and away, are looking for Ulsan games and running together with the tiger.