Saving Seok Hyun-jun and earning Round MVP, the divine move that became Yongin's 'Kim Min-woo shift'

*This content was translated by AI.

"If you ask who the unsung hero was, it's player Kim Min-woo (36)."

Yongin FC's K League 2 head coach Choi Yun-kyung said with a smile. This came right after Yongin secured a 4-1 victory over Gimhae FC in their 2026 Hana Bank K League 2 Round 9 home match at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 26th. Leading with Seok Hyun-jun's multi-goal performance, Yongin defeated Gimhae to claim their emotional "first club victory" in eight matches. While Coach Choi praised Seok Hyun-jun's performance that led the team to victory, he also singled out Kim Min-woo as the "hidden MVP." This was not a response to a reporter's question; Coach Choi Yun-kyung initiated the praise himself.

Kim Min-woo, a national team player who played for Suwon Samsung and Ulsan HD, joined Yongin as a founding member ahead of this season. However, while he started most games early in the season, he was pushed out of the starting lineup in April. He sat on the bench for two consecutive matches before the Gimhae game, missing out on playing. Returning to the starting lineup after about a month and three games, Kim Min-woo was in top form. He assisted both of Seok Hyun-jun's two goals, which had been silent since the season opener, and also scored one goal himself, tallying one goal and two assists. Although overshadowed by Seok Hyun-jun's multi-goal performance, Kim Min-woo's performance that day was equally brilliant, just as Coach Choi described.

The background of Kim Min-woo's "significantly changed" presence was a "position change." On this day, Kim Min-woo moved to the center and took on the role of an attacking midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, leading the team's attack. K League 2, with its odd-numbered structure of 17 teams, has a resting team each round. Since Yongin had no match in the previous Round 8, they prepared what is known as the "Kim Min-woo shift" through a training camp in Boeun, Chungcheongbuk-do, and reaped the full effect on this day.

Kim Min-woo assisted Seok Hyun-jun's header goal with a precise cross from the left side of the midfield area in the 17th minute of the first half, when Yongin led 1-0. This was Seok Hyun-jun's debut goal in the K League. Then, in the 36th minute of the first half, Kim Min-woo surged to the opposite side following Han Seo's long corner kick and finished with a left-footed non-stop shot, shaking the net himself. In the 4th minute of the second half, he skillfully penetrated the space behind the defense and delivered a ground cross to the goal area, assisting Seok Hyun-jun's goal again. Three of Yongin's four goals on this day were created from Kim Min-woo's left foot.

The significance extended beyond Kim Min-woo's own performance; it was crucial that he saved Seok Hyun-jun, who is responsible for leading the team's front line. Even before the Gimhae match, Coach Choi Yun-kyung expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of passes and crosses aimed at Seok Hyun-jun during a meeting with reporters. However, Kim Min-woo, who had changed his position, assisted all of Seok Hyun-jun's goals, including his K League debut goal, with his characteristic sharp left foot. The "high-quality passes" to Seok Hyun-jun that the coach desired ultimately led to the team's high-scoring victory and their first club victory.

Coach Choi Yun-kyung said, "Kim Min-woo did not play in the last two matches. After that, we made changes to his position through training camp, and he showed a lot during practice matches. In the end, he scored a goal and made an assist." He added, "Before the match, I spoke to him about the quality of crosses and passes aimed at Seok Hyun-jun, and today (Kim Min-woo's) high-quality crosses and passes were well delivered to Seok Hyun-jun's head and feet. It was a game where Kim Min-woo's strengths were clearly displayed."

This presence even led to the result of being selected as the best player of K League 2 Round 9. The Korea Professional Football League announced on the 28th that Kim Min-woo was selected as the K League 2 Round 9 Most Valuable Player (MVP) through quantitative and qualitative evaluations by the Technical Research Group (TSG) under the Technical Committee. This is Kim Min-woo's first Round MVP of the season. Along with Seok Hyun-jun, who converted all of Kim Min-woo's assists into goals, center-back Kwak Yun-ho, and goalkeeper Hwang Sung-min, a total of four players were selected for the Best 11, enjoying a "double celebration" alongside their first club victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.