"I saw a young elementary school fan while walking..." Suwon Samsung manager Lee Jung-hyo reveals a surprising anecdote: What was he thinking? [Suwon]

*This content was translated by AI.

After securing a victory in the previous round and catching his breath, Suwon Samsung manager Lee Jung-hyo shared an anecdote about encountering young fans while reaffirming his team's determination ahead of the top-of-the-table clash against Busan IPark.

Suwon will host Busan at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 2 p.m. on the 25th for the 9th round of the Hana Bank K League 2 2026. Currently, Suwon sits in second place with 6 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, and 19 points.

Depending on the result of today's match, Suwon could level with Busan on points and create a foothold to reclaim the top spot. In the previous round, Suwon secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Gyeongnam FC thanks to a winning goal by Park Ji-won.

Before the match, manager Lee Jung-hyo met with reporters and said, "I watched Busan manager Jo Sung-hwan's interview. He seemed very confident." He added, "I told him to prepare carefully, so we prepared carefully. Busan's attacking players have shown impressive growth. Suwon is also progressing in the desired direction. We focused our training on match tempo."

Restoring the attacking firepower is also crucial. While there are multiple scoring options including Hayes, Park Hyun-bin, and Kim Ji-hyun, some critics have noted that the lack of a true striker's destructive power is somewhat disappointing. In response, manager Lee Jung-hyo stated, "Suwon also has reliable strikers like Ilyuchenko and Kim Ji-hyun. Our attacking players are working hard on defense, and we have conceded only two goals in eight matches. However, the ball is not being delivered effectively to the attackers. We are paying close attention to this aspect as we prepare for the match."

However, key players including Park Ji-won, who scored the winning goal in the last match, as well as starting defenders Song Joo-hoon, and attackers Kang Sung-jin and Feshin, are sidelined due to injuries in today's match. Manager Lee Jung-hyo said, "Kang Sung-jin and Park Ji-won are expected to return in early May. Feshin is anticipated to return by late May." He added, "Song Joo-hoon jokingly told me, 'Don't even show your face to me.' His condition slightly worsened during individual training, but he is expected to return around mid-May."

For the Busan match, Suwon will deploy Ilyuchenko and Hayes up front, with Kim Do-yeon and Kang Hyun-mook on both wings. Go Seung-beom and Jeong Ho-yeon will be positioned in midfield. Lee Geon-hee, Hong Jeong-ho, Ko Jong-hyun, and Kim Min-woo will form the back four, while goalkeeper Jang Gap will wear the gloves.

After the previous match, manager Lee Jung-hyo strongly reprimanded his players in the locker room. Regarding this, he said, "It was unavoidable. Suwon is a team that must win every match."

He continued, "As I was walking into the stadium today, I saw elementary school-aged fans wearing Suwon jerseys. They spent their own money to buy jerseys worth around 200,000 won. How much do they want to see a great match? For the sake of their passion, we must deliver a good performance." He added, "(The locker room talk) was a natural measure to meet the fans' expectations."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.