2025 Season Preview: Daegu FC | OneFootball

Daegu FC heads into the 2025 season hoping to make a vast improvement on the previous campaign. Their top-flight status was only secured via the playoffs after finishing in a disappointing 11th place, and they will, of course, be hoping to look up rather than down this year in what will be coach Park Chang-hyun’s first full season at the helm. K League United’s Stuart Warren and Muyeol Jung preview the season ahead.

Last Season

9W-13D-16L, 11th

What happened?

Following a successful 2023 season in which Daegu finished in the top half, hopes were high that the club could build on this and perhaps even snatch an Asian Champions League spot. It wasn’t to be, though. A disastrous start to the season saw them pick up just one win in their opening eight games, culminating in a humiliating home defeat to K League 2 side Chungbuk Cheongju FC in the Korea Cup. This poor run resulted in coach Choi Won-kwon losing his job, with the club opting to hire Hongik University manager Park Chang-hyun.

It was an interesting appointment, as Park was vastly inexperienced at the top level; his only previous K League 1 experience was a seven-month stint as caretaker boss at Pohang Steelers some 13 years earlier.

Even with the change in leadership, Daegu continued to struggle at the foot of the division. Despite a few impressive results, including a hard-fought 2-1 away win at Seoul FC and a comfortable 3-0 victory at home against high-flying Gimcheon Sangmu, they eventually finished 11th, meaning they would have to overcome Chungnam Asan FC in a two-legged playoff to preserve their K League 1 status.

The first leg couldn’t have gone much worse for Daegu as they traveled to Asan on a freezing November night. Poor defensive play saw them trailing 4-1 with 70 minutes on the clock. However, talismanic forward and club legend Cesinha stepped up with a brace late on to reduce the arrears and give them a chance in the second leg.

The return game in Daegu proved to be just as eventful as the first, with the home side taking a two-goal lead before a last-minute penalty from the highly impressive Juninho saw the tie head to extra time. A late goal from Lee Chang-dong in extra time then secured a 3-1 victory on the day and a 6-5 victory on aggregate, sparking scenes of relief rather than celebration around Daegu iM Bank Park.

Notable Moves

Perhaps the biggest signing of the winter so far has been the re-signing of popular midfielder Bruno Lamas, with the Brazilian returning from Busan IPark after playing there for the past three seasons. Hopes will be high that the midfielder can link up and provide service to fellow countrymen Cesinha and Edgar in attack. The midfield has also been further strengthened with the arrival of Han Jong-mu from Jeju.

Elsewhere, left-sided full-back Jeong Woo-jae has returned home after five years away with Jeju United and Jeonbuk Hyundai. In attack, striker Park Dae-hun has been signed from Chungnam Asan FC, having notched two goals against his new side in the first leg of the aforementioned playoff games.

In terms of outgoings, perhaps the most notable has been the departure of Hong Chul, with the veteran left-back signing for Gangwon FC. He is joined at the exit door by fellow defender Go Myeong-seok, who is heading to Thailand to play for current champions Buriram United.

In attack, Brazilian forward Lucas Barcelos has left after an injury-ravaged spell at the club, choosing to move to Japan to play in the second division for Tokushima Vortis. Additionally, loanee Brazilian forward Italo has left early by mutual agreement.

Key Player

Cesinha

Without a doubt, the key player will once again be Cesinha. The forward is now entering his 10th season with Daegu, and over that time, he has amassed a mightily impressive 114 goals and 66 assists in 230 games. Despite the fact that he will celebrate his 36th birthday in November of this year, his advancing years show no signs of slowing him down. Even though 2024 was a disappointing season for Daegu, Cesinha still showed great form, netting 13 goals and assisting a further nine. His performances in the playoff games were a major factor in the club’s survival, as he fought tooth and nail to keep his beloved side in the top division. Cesinha’s skill and experience will once again be vital if Daegu is to have any success this coming season.

Young Player to Watch

Son Seung-min

With youngster Hwang Jae-won making headlines last season as he became a mainstay in the side and even earned a couple of caps for the full national team, many are wondering who the next young player to break through will be. One player expected to step up is central midfielder Son Seung-min.

At just 19 years of age, Son caught the eye while playing for the ‘B’ team in K League 3 last year and has also represented his country at both under-19 and under-20 levels. He is a technically gifted player, very creative, and has a good range of passing. While he hasn’t started a game for the first team yet, he did make a couple of late substitute appearances and is expected to have a much bigger role this year.

Biggest Question

While 2024 seemed to bring more questions than answers, major concerns remain regarding the coaching situation. Although Park Chang-hyun succeeded in keeping the side in the division, albeit barely, many still wonder if he is the right man to take the club forward. Many feel he lacks experience at this level, having spent most of his career coaching university football. At times last season, his side lacked any real tactical consistency.

The fans at Daegu can be quite demanding, and they will surely expect a much higher finish than last season. The general consensus among the fanbase is that if he doesn’t get off to a good start this time around, a change may well happen.

Another major concern among fans is the goalkeeper situation. The club split game time between two shot-stoppers, Oh Seung-hoon and Choi Young-eun, throughout last season. However, neither managed to secure the starting spot, leading to fan dissatisfaction and increased anxiety whenever costly errors were made. The club acknowledged this issue and attempted to resolve it by signing a new goalkeeper in the off-season, but this effort ultimately fell short. As a result, the most realistic solution appears to be putting faith in both goalkeepers, although uncertainty in the position remains a concern for the upcoming season.

Despite the poor results last season, Daegu’s games were often open and, at times, high-scoring. Thrilling encounters such as the 3-3 draw at home against Jeonbuk Motors and the late 4-3 victory over the same side are sure to live long in the memory. In attack, the evergreen Cesinha continues to entertain, and he is likely to hit double figures in goals once again.

It will be interesting to see if Park Chang-hyun can turn the team’s fortunes around. With season tickets and SkyPasses selling out within minutes and most league games expected to sell out quickly, expectations at Daegu iM Bank Park couldn’t be higher.