2023 K League 2
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2023) |
| Season | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1 March – 26 November 2023[1] |
| Champions | Gimcheon Sangmu (2nd title) |
| Promoted | Gimcheon Sangmu |
| Matches played | 179 |
| Goals scored | 452 (2.53 per match) |
| Best Player | Valdívia |
| Top goalscorer | Luis Mina (14 goals) |
| Biggest away win | Jeonnam 0–5 Gyeongnam (5 March 2023) |
| Highest scoring | Ansan 3–7 Gimcheon (22 October 2023) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 12 matches Gimpo FC |
| Longest winless run | 20 matches Cheonan City |
| Longest losing run | 7 matches Cheonan City |
← 2022 2024 → | |
The 2023 K League 2, also known as the Hana 1Q K League 2 for sponsorship reasons, was the 11th season of the K League 2, the second-highest division in South Korean football league system.
Following the regular season, in which each team played each other three times, Gimcheon Sangmu were the champions, gaining direct promotion to K League 1.[2] After three rounds of play-offs, no other teams were promoted at the end of this season.[3]
Teams
[edit]Team changes
[edit]2022 champions Gwangju FC and play-off winners Daejeon Hana Citizen were promoted to the K League 1, while Seongnam FC and Gimcheon Sangmu were relegated from the top flight.[4]
Cheonan City and Chungbuk Cheongju, which played in the K3 League until 2022, joined the K League and made their professional debuts in the K League 2.
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Locations
[edit]
| Team | City/Province | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Ansan Greeners | Ansan | Ansan |
| FC Anyang | Anyang | Anyang |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | Bucheon | Bucheon |
| Busan IPark | Busan | Busan |
| Cheonan City | Cheonan | Cheonan |
| Chungbuk Cheongju | Cheongju | Chungbuk Cheongju |
| Chungnam Asan | Asan | Chungnam Asan |
| Gimcheon Sangmu | Gimcheon | Gimcheon |
| Gimpo FC | Gimpo | Gimpo |
| Gyeongnam FC | Gyeongnam | Gyeongnam |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Jeonnam | Jeonnam |
| Seongnam FC | Seongnam | Seongnam |
| Seoul E-Land | Seoul | Seoul E |
Stadiums
[edit]| Ansan Greeners | FC Anyang | Bucheon FC 1995 |
|---|---|---|
| Ansan Wa~ Stadium | Anyang Stadium | Bucheon Stadium |
| Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 17,143 | Capacity: 34,456 |
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| Busan IPark | Chungnam Asan | |
| Busan Asiad Main Stadium | Busan Gudeok Stadium | Yi Sun-sin Stadium |
| Capacity: 53,769 | Capacity: 12,349 | Capacity: 17,376 |
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| Cheonan City | Chungbuk Cheongju | Gimpo FC |
| Cheonan Stadium | Cheongju Stadium | Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 26,000 | Capacity: 16,280 | Capacity: 5,000 |
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| Gyeongnam FC | Gimcheon Sangmu | Seongnam FC |
| Changwon Football Center | Gimcheon Stadium | Tancheon Stadium |
| Capacity: 15,074 | Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 16,146 |
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| Jeonnam Dragons | Seoul E-Land | |
| Gwangyang Stadium | Mokdong Stadium | |
| Capacity: 13,496 | Capacity: 15,511 | |
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Foreign players
[edit]Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to five per team, including a slot for a player from the AFC and ASEAN countries. Gimcheon Sangmu FC, being a military-owned team, is not allowed to sign any foreign players. A team could use five foreign players on the field each game, including at least one player from the AFC and ASEAN.
Players in bold were registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- ^ Did not exist in the regulation of AFC.
League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gimcheon Sangmu (C, P) | 36 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 71 | 37 | +34 | 71 | Promotion to K League 1 |
| 2 | Busan IPark | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 50 | 29 | +21 | 70 | Qualification for promotion play-offs final round |
| 3 | Gimpo FC | 36 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 40 | 25 | +15 | 60 | Qualification for promotion play-offs second round |
| 4 | Gyeongnam FC | 36 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 54 | 42 | +12 | 57 | Qualification for promotion play-offs first round |
| 5 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 57 | |
| 6 | FC Anyang | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 58 | 51 | +7 | 54 | |
| 7 | Jeonnam Dragons | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 55 | 56 | −1 | 53 | |
| 8 | Chungbuk Cheongju | 36 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 37 | 42 | −5 | 52 | |
| 9 | Seongnam FC | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 43 | 50 | −7 | 44 | |
| 10 | Chungnam Asan | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 39 | 46 | −7 | 42 | |
| 11 | Seoul E-Land | 36 | 10 | 5 | 21 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 35 | |
| 12 | Ansan Greeners | 36 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 40 | 72 | −32 | 25 | |
| 13 | Cheonan City | 36 | 5 | 10 | 21 | 33 | 62 | −29 | 25 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Wins; 5) Head-to-head points
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Positions by matchday
[edit] Leaders, promotion to K League 1
Qualification for promotion play-offs final round
Qualification for promotion play-offs second round
Qualification for promotion play-offs first round
Notes: The match between Chungnam Asan and Chungbuk Cheongju on matchday 26 (13 August) was postponed to 14 October.
Results
[edit]Matches 1–26
[edit]Matches 27–39
[edit]Promotion play-offs
[edit]The first round was contested between the fourth and fifth-placed teams, and its winners played the third-placed team in the second round. When the first and second round matches were finished as draws, their winners were decided on the regular season rankings without extra time and penalty shoot-outs.
The winners of the second round and the runners-up competed with the tenth and eleventh-placed team of the K League 1, respectively, in the final round for the K League 1 spots of the next season. Each match of the final round was a two-legged tie.
Bracket
[edit]| First round | Second round | Final 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Gimpo FC | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Gyeongnam FC | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Gyeongnam FC | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Gimpo FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Gangwon FC | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Final 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Busan IPark | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Suwon FC (a.e.t.) | 1 | 5 | 6 | |||||||||||||
First round
[edit]Second round
[edit]| Gimpo FC | 2–1 | Gyeongnam FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Won Ki-jong  36' |
Final round
[edit]| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gimpo FC | 1–2 | Gangwon FC | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Busan IPark | 4–6 | Suwon FC | 2–1 | 2–5 (a.e.t.) |
| Gangwon FC | 2–1 | Gimpo FC |
|---|---|---|
| Vitor Gabriel 51', 76' |
Report | Cho Sung-gwon 59' |
Gangwon FC won 2–1 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
| Busan IPark | 2–1 | Suwon FC |
|---|---|---|
| Bruno Lamas 85' (pen.), 90+9' (pen.) |
Report | Jang Jae-woong 43' |
| Suwon FC | 5–2 (a.e.t.) | Busan IPark |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
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Suwon FC won 6–4 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
Statistics
[edit]Top goalscorers
[edit]| Rank | Player[5] | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Luis Mina
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Gimpo FC | 16 |
| 2 |  Valdívia
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Jeonnam Dragons | 14 |
| 3 |  Cho Young-wook
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Gimcheon Sangmu | 13 |
| Gleyson
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Gyeongnam FC | ||
| Jorge Luiz
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Chungbuk Cheongju | ||
| 6 | An Jae-jun
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Bucheon FC 1995 | 11 |
| 7 | Won Ki-jong
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Gyeongnam FC | 10 |
| Bruno Lamas
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Busan IPark | ||
| Bruno Mota
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Cheonan City | ||
| 10 | Yun Ju-tae
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Ansan Greeners | 9 |
Top assist providers
[edit]| Rank | Player[5] | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valdívia
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Jeonnam Dragons | 14 |
| 2 | Joo Hyeon-woo
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FC Anyang | 9 |
| 3 | Andrigo
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FC Anyang | 8 |
| Bruno Lamas
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Busan IPark | ||
| 5 | Yago
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FC Anyang | 7 |
 Leonard Pllana
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Jeonnam Dragons | ||
| 7 | Mo Jae-hyeon
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Gyeongnam FC | 6 |
| 8 | 10 Players | 5 | |
Awards
[edit]Weekly awards
[edit]Monthly awards
[edit]| Month | Manager of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Division | |
| February/March | Hong Myung-bo
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Ulsan Hyundai | 1 |
| April | Ko Jeong-woon
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Gimpo FC | 2 |
| May | Nam Ki-il
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Jeju United | 1 |
| June | Lee Jung-hyo
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Gwangju FC | 1 |
| July | Jo Sung-hwan
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Incheon United | 1 |
| August | Choi Yun-kyum
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Chungbuk Cheongju | 2 |
| September | Park Jin-sub
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Busan IPark | 2 |
| October–December | Chung Jung-yong
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Gimcheon Sangmu | 2 |
Annual awards
[edit]The 2023 K League Awards was held on 4 December 2023.[6]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Valdívia
|
Jeonnam Dragons |
| Young Player of the Year | An Jae-jun
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Bucheon FC 1995 |
| Top goalscorer | Luis Mina
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Gimpo FC |
| Top assist provider | Valdívia
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Jeonnam Dragons |
| Manager of the Year | Ko Jeong-woon
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Gimpo FC |
| Position | Best XI | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Koo Sang-min (Busan)
| |||
| Defenders | Choi Jun (Busan) |
Lee Sang-min (Gimcheon) |
Lee Han-do (Busan) |
Kim Dong-jin (Anyang) |
| Midfielders | Mo Jae-hyeon (Gyeongnam) |
Won Du-jae (Gimcheon) |
Valdívia (Jeonnam) |
Kim Jin-gyu (Gimcheon) |
| Forwards | Jorge Luiz (Chungbuk Cheongju)
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Luis Mina (Gimpo)
| ||
Attendance
[edit]Attendants who entered with free ticket were not counted.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seoul E-Land | 65,109 | 7,266 | 1,350 | 3,617 | +213.2% |
| 2 | Busan IPark | 64,587 | 13,340 | 1,306 | 3,588 | +144.4% |
| 3 | Gyeongnam FC | 59,612 | 7,547 | 820 | 3,312 | +261.6% |
| 4 | FC Anyang | 54,484 | 6,003 | 1,539 | 3,027 | +93.7% |
| 5 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 53,737 | 6,103 | 1,380 | 2,985 | +137.7% |
| 6 | Chungbuk Cheongju | 45,177 | 7,035 | 762 | 2,510 | n/a |
| 7 | Chungnam Asan | 39,852 | 7,546 | 515 | 2,214 | +47.4% |
| 8 | Gimpo FC | 38,911 | 3,121 | 1,164 | 2,162 | +74.6% |
| 9 | Seongnam FC | 37,744 | 7,789 | 647 | 2,097 | +11.0%† |
| 10 | Jeonnam Dragons | 37,321 | 4,890 | 1,032 | 2,073 | +91.9% |
| 11 | Gimcheon Sangmu | 21,305 | 2,825 | 359 | 1,184 | −22.2%† |
| 12 | Ansan Greeners | 21,164 | 4,173 | 385 | 1,176 | +1.7% |
| 13 | Cheonan City | 20,818 | 3,299 | 566 | 1,157 | n/a |
| League total | 559,794 | 13,340 | 359 | 2,392 | +76.4% |
Source: K League
Notes:
† Team played previous season in K League 1.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 2023시즌 K리그2 일정 발표, 3·1절 킥오프 (in Korean). K League. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Gimcheon Sangmu FC earn promotion to top division in S. Korean football". The Korea Herald. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Paik, Ji-hwan (9 December 2023). "Suwon FC, Gangwon secure first division survival in promotion-relegation playoffs". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Yoo, Jee-ho (29 October 2022). "Daejeon earn promotion to top division in S. Korean football". Yonhap News. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Record". K League.
- ^ [IS 잠실] ‘14골·14도움 맹폭’ 전남 발디비아, K리그2 MVP 영예 안았다(종합). Naver.com (in Korean). Edaily. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.