Gwangju FC, which returned to the first division after a year, Um Ji-seong also returns to the big stage.

Um Ji-seong graduated from Kumho High School in Gwangju and went straight to the pros, and was a ‘cotyledonous leaf’ that attracted attention in the first division in the 2021 season. Based on his first-year experience, he also won the Young Player Award while recording 9 goals and 1 assist in the K-League 2 last year.

Um Ji-sung, who has experienced both relegation and promotion for the past two years, is one of the points to watch in the K League 1 this season.

Um Ji-seong’s 2023 season, which both he and his fans are curious about. Umji-seong said, “I bumped into each other in the first year, but now I have gained experience and want to check my level while competing with other team players. I miss the atmosphere and cheers of the first division. I want to hear it soon.” He revealed his thoughts ahead of the new season.

He also showed anticipation, saying, “Since we move as one team, we can bring about good results if we play that part well.” “A lot of good players, including foreign players, have come. I think we can do well this season.”

[The following is Q&A with Uhm Ji-seong] I

am training abroad for the first time since joining the professional team

– I am preparing well because it is an environment where I can only focus on soccer. He has worked with the coach for a year, and there are many existing players, so it is comfortable without any awkward atmosphere.

what is it like to train

-It would be a lie if I said it wasn’t hard. I don’t think it makes sense that winter training isn’t hard. When the season starts, I don’t have much time to prepare physically, so I think now is the most important time.

There are no big changes, but new players have come in along with foreign players

– I think they are all good players. He is also excellent in terms of technique and speed, and he is trying to melt into himself the soccer that the coach wants. It feels good. When we train together, there are a lot of ‘wow’ plays. With good players joining, I think we can do well this season.

How did you feel when you saw the league schedule

? Even in the first year, his first game was an away game in Suwon, and that’s when he made his debut. I am looking forward to this first match as it is an expedition to Suwon. I want to feel the atmosphere of K-League 1 again soon. I enjoyed the atmosphere during my first year. It was the first feeling I felt, and I think I had a different experience from my second year.

I met the first division teams again with a different look and skill than the first year. -In the first year,

I randomly bumped into them, but now I have more experience and I want to compete with other professional team players to see how good I am. I want to test how much I have developed and how competitive I am. Quickly grasping the flow of the game, I maximized the parts I could do well, such as one-on-one breakthrough and shooting in the attacking area.

He is a player with many strengths, but the part he wants to show and try the most in the first division is

– Aerial competition. I am confident when the ball floats. I competed with confidence in the K-League 2, but I wonder if it will work in the first division.

Which team would you most like to meet

? Daegu, Seoul, Suwon, Ulsan, Jeonbuk, etc. Daegu has a really good atmosphere, and I have a lot of good memories there, so I want to feel that feeling again.

I think the confrontation with Um Won-sang will also draw attention

– I think it will be fun. The players on the left and right sides of the same team will be on the same side as the opposing team. If I am on the left and Won-sang is on the right, it is the same line. I will learn what I have to learn, and I will try not to lose because it is a competition between players on the field without seniors and juniors. My older brother has great speed and stamina, and there are many things that are better than me, but I have an advantage with my left foot. I am more confident than my brother in my left-footed shooting and controllable part (laughs).

I think the opposing teams are very nervous

– I think it’s because Gwangju showed good performances and results last year. Since the coach came and it’s my first time in the K-League 1, I think I should play a game.

Director Lee Jung-hyo will also prepare for the first part, so what part will be the most different?

– The tactical element seems to have changed the most noticeably. Last year, he put a lot of numbers in the middle and played the ball possession operation, but now it seems that he is trying to create an offensive situation with more side plays. If we understand that part well, I think we will become a sufficiently competitive team. The director is really great.

As much as expectations are high, coach Lee Jung-hyo is a player who whips a lot

– only when he is whipped like that can he develop. So it seems he has continued to develop over the past year. He said that if you score one or two goals, don’t settle for it, and say that it is a pro to score until you can score three or four goals. He tries to think of doing as much as he can rather than set attack points.

I think it would be fun to play together with the ‘golden members’ of Kumho High School

– (Jeong) Hoyeon hyung and (Huh) Yul hyung and I were in the 3rd, 2nd and 1st year, and (Jo) Seong-kwon hyung ( Note) There is also Youngjae. Hoyeon hyung had the same personality as now. He was quiet and self-indulgent. It was a claim, but it was a claim with a different feeling (laughs). It was really hard to the point of death when I was in Kumho High School, but looking back, it seems like a memory. I think it’s because it was so hard that it remains in my memory. It was nice to see colleagues who overcame and overcame difficult times together. No matter how hard it was, I never gave up. When I was in the first grade, I cried because it was difficult, and I thought a lot, but I did not give up and came this far step by step. 메이저사이트

There is only one junior, Jung Ji-hoon.

-We shared the same room in Gwangju. It feels like seeing me in the first year. I also had (Shin) Song Hoon, but I was alone on the field. It’s a process everyone goes through, and he told me everything he felt. I was told it was normal. It’s natural that it’s hard and not going well at this time. You can do well as soon as you arrive, but that is difficult. You have to come up to the pro level, train, adapt to the game itself, develop and compete. That period was of course difficult, and I felt it too. I was very concerned about one mistake. The stress of being evaluated for one mistake was great. It’s natural to make mistakes now, and coaches and coaches don’t think it’s important, and they advise you to think about what to do next. I hope I can be of any help.

How to spend the rest of winter training

– I think we need to make an effort so that the tactical part and the team can unite as one. We believe that moving as a team rather than individual abilities can bring good results if we can digest that part well. I have a lot of thoughts in my head. I want to quickly hear cheers when I put in a mid-range shot. I miss that cheer. I’ve been playing soccer for more than half of my life, but I think I still have more than half left, so I’m looking forward to ‘how many things will happen’. I am still lacking a lot, but I will learn and grow more under the coach this year.