Ulsan HD welcomes Pohang Steelers to the Tiger's Den in search of an opening day win.

Ulsan will host Pohang in the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 First Round East Coast Derby on March 1 at 2 p.m. at Munsu Football Stadium.

Defending champions Ulsan, who recently won their second consecutive K League 1 title, will face last season's FA Cup champions Pohang in the opening match.

Ulsan started the season earlier than usual due to the 2023/2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL), which was moved to the Chinese New Year, but the K League champions bounced back with back-to-back wins over Japan's Banpore Kofu, 3-0 at home on Nov. 15 and 2-1 away on Nov. 21 to reach the quarterfinals. Ulsan will face Jeonbuk Hyundai in the ACL quarterfinals. Pohang, on the other hand, had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the ACL Round of 16 against Jeonbuk.

With two wins in a row, Ulsan is in a positive mood as it prepares for Pohang. One of the most anticipated players will be K League 1's top scorer (17 goals) in the 2023 season. He scored three goals in four matches against Pohang last season. In particular, he broke through as the top scorer with his 16th goal on November 12 last year, and the team enjoyed a thrilling 3-2 victory.

The new season has reignited his goalscoring form. He scored a multi-goal performance in the first leg against Kofu, and in the second leg, he finished off a Won-sang Mun's cross in stoppage time to seal a dramatic victory in a 1-1 draw.

"The player who is in the best shape of all our players right now is Injongyu," said Hong Myung-bo. I hope he can score a goal every game," he said in praise. Against Pohang, Injongyu will be looking to extend his official goal streak to three games.

In the last match, there were additional rewards. Kim Ji-hyun, who joined the club last year after leaving Gimcheon Sangmu, opened the scoring in the second leg against Gohoo, while also making the transition from frontline striker to left back. He roared into action in an Ulsan jersey 안전놀이터 on Aug. 11, 2021, 924 days after his first official match since the FA Cup against Yangju Minsan Football Club. In the league, he scored against Jeju United on May 29 of the same year, 998 days after his last appearance.

Beyond Ulsan, Cho Hyun-woo is still shining as one of Korea's top gatekeepers. In 36 K League 1 games last season, Cho Hyun-woo kept 38 clean sheets and 13 shutouts. Since the 2017 season, he has been named a Best 11 goalkeeper in the K League 1 for seven consecutive seasons. If you include K League 2, it's nine consecutive awards. In the second leg of the first leg against Kofu, he conceded just one goal to the opposition's onslaught. He has a lot of good memories against Pohang, so he has high expectations for the opening match.

Since Hong Myung-bo took over as head coach, Ulsan has been a formidable opponent for Pohang. They have won two and drawn one in 2021, won one and drawn two in 2022, and won two and drawn two in 2023 to lead the East Coast with a total of five wins, four draws, and two losses in 11 matches. Last season, they were unbeaten in four games (2 wins, 2 draws). At the media day on the 26th, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "We learned a lot from the crisis last season and have prepared a lot for this season. We will definitely win the opening match for the fans who may have been worried recently."

Captain Kim Ki-hee also said, "Looking back at last season, we have improved a lot. This season will be difficult, but with our experience and humility, we are determined to win our third consecutive title and add another star to our jersey."