"I'll shorten the interview to 10 minutes." Coach Jeong Kyung-ho's belief in 'the power of words'... The hidden secret to defeating Jeonju [Jeonju Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

The hidden secret behind Kangwon FC's victory in a difficult away match against Jeonju Hyundai. It was coach Jeong Kyung-ho (46) of Kangwon, who believes in 'the power of words'.

On the 4th, Kangwon defeated Jeonju 2-1 in an away match at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Round 16 of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026. With this win, Kangwon accumulated 27 points, jumping from fourth to second place in the league standings. They are now closing in on first-place FC Seoul (32 points) and entering the race for the top spot.

A special scene occurred even before the match. Coach Jeong Kyung-ho's pre-match interview time was moved up by 10 minutes. Although it was originally scheduled for 6:40 p.m., Coach Jeong and Kangwon officials requested understanding from the media in advance and held the interview at 6:30 p.m.

There was a reason. It was due to a team meeting. The coach wanted to deliver a message directly to the players before the match.

Coach Jeong said, "While we have been on a winning streak recently, we have consistently moved up our interview times. For home games, it doesn't matter if we conduct pre-match interviews late, but for away games, we always go first. Since there are timing conflicts, we ask for your understanding."

The reason Coach Jeong places such importance on team meetings is 'the power of words'. He explained, "It is important for the coach to provide motivation before a match and determine how to get players fully immersed. I believe it is necessary for them to come together as one on the field."

Coach Jeong continued, "The power of words can be incredibly powerful. I also think it is important for the coach to take on such management roles. Players become one even during warm-ups, and we discuss extensively what mindset they should have when playing the match."

The core of Coach Jeong's message ahead of the Jeonju match was 'focus'. This was their first game after a World Cup break lasting over a month, and it was an away match against the formidable Jeonju. It was also a crucial contest in terms of league standings.

Coach Jeong stated, "Each match has a different concept, but since this is our first game in a while, we aimed to make the players more focused and immersed."

Coach Jeong's message translated into results on the field. Kangwon dominated Jeonju from the start and controlled the game favorably. They took the lead with an amazing free-kick goal by Song Jun-seok in the 25th minute of the first half, and captain Lee Yu-hyun added another goal in the 8th minute of the second half. Although they conceded a consolation goal to Lee Seung-woo in the 29th minute of the second half, they held on to their one-goal lead until the end to secure three points. Coach Jeong's sincere meeting served as a stepping stone for victory.

With this win, Kangwon extended their unbeaten run in their last six matches (four wins and two draws), including a three-game winning streak.

After the victory, Coach Jeong expressed satisfaction, saying, "For about 60 to 70 minutes, we played according to our timing and plan. It seems Kangwon had a game where they could develop further. Although there were issues after the 20th minute of the second half, I don't think it's possible to maintain pressure on the opponent for the full 90 minutes. We did concede a goal, but the players fought well and responded intelligently. I felt that Kangwon is moving in a positive direction."

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*This content was translated by AI.