Daegu FC

In today's world, Daegu FC is a topic that has become increasingly relevant. Both in academic settings and in everyday life, Daegu FC has become a topic of interest to a wide variety of people. From its impact on society to its implications on culture and the economy, Daegu FC has sparked constant debate and generated a large amount of research and analysis. In this article, we will explore the different facets of Daegu FC and its impact on various aspects of life today. We will analyze from its origins to its influence today, with the aim of providing a complete and detailed overview of this topic that is so relevant today.

Daegu FC
logo
Full nameDaegu Football Club
대구시민프로축구단
Founded2002 (2002)
GroundDaegu iM Bank Park
Capacity12,419
OwnerDaegu Government
ChairmanHong Joon-pyo (Daegu mayor)
Head coachPark Chang-hyun
LeagueK League 1
2024K League 1, 11th of 12
Websitewww.daegufc.co.kr

Daegu FC (Korean: 대구 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Daegu. The club was founded as a community club at the end of 2002, and made their K League 1 debut in 2003. Daegu has played mostly in the K League 1 but was relegated at the end of the 2013 season to the K League 2. They were promoted back to the top tier for the 2017 season and went on to win the 2018 Korean FA Cup, which qualified them for the 2019 AFC Champions League. The club's best season in K League 1 was in 2021, when they finished third out of twelve teams and were also runners-up in the Korean FA Cup. At the international level, they advanced to the round of 16 in the 2021 and 2022 AFC Champions League.

History

Foundation

Daegu FC was established in 2002 as a community club (generally in South Korea, a "community-club" means that the club issues shares) based in the city of Daegu. The city is a key shareholder, and the current mayor is chairman of the club. Following their foundation, the club entered the 2003 season of the K League under manager Park Jong-hwan. Park had previously managed the national side for a number years in the 1980s and 1990s. The club's entry, together with that of Gwangju Sangmu, brought the number of teams participating in the league to 12.

Domestic competitions

Daegu finished the 2003 K League season in 11th place (out of 12 teams), winning seven games, and drawing sixteen. In the 2003 Korean FA Cup, Daegu reached the quarterfinals, where they were defeated 1–0 by Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i. Daegu improved in 2004 to tenth place in the league which, due to Incheon United's entry, now numbered 13 clubs. In the FA Cup, Daegu were knocked out in the round of 32 by National League side Ansan Hallelujah. In the Samsung Hauzen Cup, a new cup competition run as a league competition specifically for K League clubs (thus excluding National League and lower-tier clubs) during the K League's mid-season break, finished eighth out of 13 teams. The following season saw Daegu placed eighth place in the league and seventh in the Samsung Hauzen Cup. In the FA Cup, after defeating University and National League sides, Daegu were knocked out in the quarterfinals in a 2–1 loss to another K League side, the Chunnam Dragons.

For the 2006 K League season, the club placed seventh overall in the league and was 13th in Samsung Hauzen Cup. It reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 edition of the FA Cup but lost (again) to the Chunnam Dragons. Following completion of the 2006 season, Park Jong-hwan stepped down as manager after four years with the club. On 1 December 2006, Byun Byung-joo was appointed as the new manager.[1] A former South Korean international, Byun had no previous K League management experience prior to his appointment as Daegu FC's manager. The club's performance slipped in comparison to its previous two seasons, and it placed 12th. The club failed to get out of the group stage in the 2007 Samsung Hauzen Cup and achieved a similar level of performance in the FA Cup, where Daegu lost to Incheon United in the round of 16.

In 2008, Daegu played extremely aggressive football, becoming the joint equal top-scoring team of the K League, alongside Suwon Samsung Bluewings. However, they also conceded the most goals in the league. An 11th place in the K League standings was the eventual outcome. For the first time in its history, Daegu reached the semi-finals of the Korean FA Cup, by defeating Ulsan in the quarterfinals, following a win in the round of 16 over Ansan Hallelujah. However, they then lost to their opponents Pohang Steelers in a 2–0 loss. The club placed fifth (out of six teams) in their group in the Samsung Hauzen Cup.

The 2009 season was one of the worst in the club's history. In a now expanded league of 15 clubs, thanks to new entrant Gangwon FC, Daegu would place in the last, 15th place, winning only five games. In the FA Cup, Daegu reached the quarterfinals, against Daejeon Citizen, the game finished with a 1–1 scoreline. Daegu lost out in the subsequent penalty shoot-out. In the league cup, the club finished third in their group, one point away from qualifying for the knockout phase of the cup. Later in the year, Lee Young-jin was appointed as manager for the 2010 season.[2] Lee, who has previously coached FC Seoul, replaced Byun who had resigned after being embroiled in a scandal involving a player's agent and payoffs for selecting specific players.[3]

On field, Daegu repeated their dismal performances of the previous season, finishing 15th in the K League standings, equal with Gwangju Sangmu on points. Daegu conceded the most goals of any club in the league, losing 19 games out of 28 games, with five wins and four draws. In the FA Cup, Daegu lost 1–0 after extra time to the National League side Suwon City. Better results were achieved in the League Cup, with Daegu progressing out of their group to the knockout stage, thanks to wins over Daejeon Citizen and Busan, before losing to FC Seoul after a penalty shoot-out.

By virtue of winning the 2018 Korean FA Cup, Daegu qualified for its first appearance in the AFC Champions League.[4]

After a controversial fall out with the club's executive director, manager André left Daegu FC in January 2020.[5] The club then announced Lee Byung-keun, who had joined the club as the chief assistant coach at the beginning of the 2019 season, as a caretaker manager to lead the club in the upcoming 2020 K League 1 season.[6]

The club narrowly avoided relegation in 2024 K League 1 by defeating second division club Chungnam Asan in the promotion-relegation play-offs after finishing 11th in the regular season.[7]

International competitions

Prior to the start of the 2006 K League season, Daegu participated in the Tongyeong Cup. The Tongyeong Cup was a four-team invitational tournament held in Tongyeong, South Korea. As well as Daegu and fellow K League club Incheon United, A-League side Queensland Roar and Beijing Guo'an were also part of the tournament. After beating both Incheon and Beijing, Daegu drew 0–0 with Queensland, winning the Tongyeong Cup and thus its first trophy.[8]

In 2019, the club played in the 2019 AFC Champions League, and for the group stage was placed with Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Guangzhou Evergrande and Melbourne Victory. Despite having the lowest wage bill of all the K-League clubs, it won its first game, against Melbourne Victory.[9] It went on to win two more games in the group stage but failed to progress to the knockout phase.

Daegu made made it to the knockout stages of the 2021 and 2022 editions of the AFC Champions League, and defeated eventual tournament winners Urawa Red Diamonds 1–0 in the group stage of the 2022 competition before being knocked out by compatriots Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the next round.

Rivalries

Daegu shares a rivalry with the nearby Daegu–Gyeongbuk club Pohang Steelers.[10] The city of Daegu was previously part of North Gyeongsang Province, which Pohang is now the largest city of.

The club also shares a rivalry with Gwangju FC, mirroring the Samsung Lions-Kia Tigers baseball rivalry between the two cities. The 'Moonlight Derby' between the two cities (borrowed from the 'Moonlight Series' rivalry name in baseball) stems from differences in their respective political leanings.[11]

Stadium

Daegu FC's first home ground, Daegu Stadium

The club's first home ground, Daegu Stadium (formerly Daegu World Cup Stadium), was opened on 28 June 2001 and is owned by the Daegu Metropolitan City. The stadium was one of the venues for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosting three group stage matches, as well as the third-place match between South Korea and Turkey. Daegu FC used the stadium as their main venue between 2003 and 2018. The stadium has 66,422 seats, and it is covered by natural grass.[12] The name was changed to Daegu Stadium on 5 March 2008. Occasionally, Daegu FC played its home games at the Daegu Civic Stadium.

The pitch at Daegu iM Bank Park

In the 2019 season, Daegu FC relocated to the DGB Daegu Bank Park, a 12,419-capacity football-specific stadium built at the same location as the demolished Daegu Civic Stadium.[13] The small but compact stadium located in the Buk District of the city has led to it constantly selling out and consistently breaking their attendance record year after year.[14] In 2025, the stadium was renamed as Daegu iM Bank Park due to the name change of the stadium's sponsor, iM Bank.[15]

Players

Current squad

As of 18 February 2025[16]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK South Korea KOR Choi Young-eun
2 DF South Korea KOR Hwang Jae-won (vice-captain)
3 DF South Korea KOR Jeong Woo-jae
4 DF Brazil BRA Caio Marcelo
5 MF Japan JPN Kyohei Yoshino
7 DF South Korea KOR Kim Jin-hyuk
8 MF South Korea KOR Lee Chan-dong
9 FW Brazil BRA Edgar
10 FW Brazil BRA Bruno Lamas
11 FW Brazil BRA Cesinha (captain)
13 FW South Korea KOR Kwon Tae-young
14 MF South Korea KOR Park Sae-jin
15 DF South Korea KOR Lee Won-woo
16 FW South Korea KOR Jeon Young-jun
17 FW South Korea KOR Go Jae-hyeon
18 FW South Korea KOR Jung Jae-sang
19 FW South Korea KOR Park Dae-hoon
21 GK South Korea KOR Oh Seung-hoon
22 DF South Korea KOR Jang Seong-won
23 FW South Korea KOR Han Seo-jin
25 MF South Korea KOR Son Seung-min
27 DF South Korea KOR Jung Heon-taek
No. Pos. Nation Player
28 FW Ghana GHA Isaac Osei
29 DF South Korea KOR Park Jae-hyeon
30 MF South Korea KOR Han Jong-mu
31 GK South Korea KOR Han Tae-hui
32 FW South Korea KOR Jeong Chi-in (vice-captain)
33 FW South Korea KOR Kim Min-jun
34 DF South Korea KOR Sim Yeon-won
35 DF South Korea KOR Yoon Tae-min
36 DF South Korea KOR Lee Je-wook
37 FW South Korea KOR Jung Eun-woo
38 DF South Korea KOR Lee Rim
39 MF South Korea KOR Kwon Kwang-deok
40 DF South Korea KOR Park Jin-young
41 GK South Korea KOR Park Sang-young
42 DF South Korea KOR Jung Yoon-seo
43 FW South Korea KOR Kim Min-young
44 MF South Korea KOR Kim Jung-hyeon
45 DF South Korea KOR Kim Hyeon-jun
46 DF South Korea KOR Sung Kwon-seok
51 GK South Korea KOR Park Man-ho
70 DF South Korea KOR Yoo Ji-un
74 MF South Korea KOR Lee Yong-rae

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF South Korea KOR Jo Jin-woo (to Gimcheon Sangmu for military service)
— DF South Korea KOR Kim Kang-san (to Gimcheon Sangmu for military service)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF South Korea KOR Lee Jin-yong (to Gimcheon Sangmu for military service)

Retired number(s)

Main article: Retired numbers in football

12 – Club Supporters (the 12th Man)
24 – Park Jong-jin

Captains

Season Captain
2003 South Korea Oh Ju-po
2003 South Korea Kim Hak-chul
2004 South Korea Roh Sang-rae
2005 South Korea Jin Soon-jin
2005 South Korea Song Jung-hyun
2006 South Korea Lee Sang-il
2006–07 South Korea Kim Hyun-soo
2008 South Korea Hwang Sun-pil
2009 South Korea Jang Nam-seok
2010 South Korea Bang Dae-jong
2011 South Korea Back Min-chul
2012–13 South Korea Yoo Kyoung-youl
2014 South Korea An Sang-hyun
2015 South Korea Heo Jae-won
2016 South Korea Park Tae-hong
2017–19 South Korea Han Hee-hoon
2020 South Korea Hong Jeong-un
2021–2022 South Korea Kim Jin-hyuk
2022–present Brazil Cesinha

R-League

From 2008 to 2011, Daegu FC fielded a team in the R-League, established in 2000 for the reserve squads of the professional K-League clubs. The National Policy Agency also entered a team in the league. The league format provided for two groups of teams (six to eight in each group), each group member playing the others in the group, three or four times, depending on the number of teams in the groups.[17] The top two teams in each group moved onto a playoff round although from 2010, the title was shared between the winners of each group.

In 2008, Daegu placed 7th out of the 8 teams in their group, winning three of 18 games. They fared little better in 2009, finishing last in their group of five teams. In 2010, Daegu's reserve squad only won one of their group games, while they drew two, and lost 11 times. The side's return of 5 points saw it place 8th and last in their group. In 2011, the club improved to 5th in its group, with eight wins. It did not enter the 2012 edition of the competition.

U-18 (Hyunpung High School) squad

In 2008, Daegu FC established an under-18 side, to act as a development squad for the men's team. This is essentially Hyunpung High School's senior football team,[18][19] and as of 2009, plays in the U-18 Challenge League. The side is managed by former Daegu FC player Kim Hyun-soo.

Club officials

Coaching staff[20]

List of managers

No. Name From To Season(s)
1 South Korea Park Jong-hwan 2002/10/09 2006/11/05 2003–2006
2 South Korea Byun Byung-joo[1] 2006/11/28 2009/12/07 2007–2009
3 South Korea Lee Young-jin[2] 2009/12/22 2011/10/31 2010–2011
4 Brazil Moacir Pereira 2011/11/02 2012/12/01 2012
5 South Korea Dang Sung-jeung 2012/12/03 2013/04/20 2013
6 South Korea Baek Jong-chul 2013/04/23 2013/11/30 2013
7 South Korea Choi Deok-ju 2013/12/20 2014/11/18 2014
8 South Korea Lee Young-jin 2014/11/24 2016/08/12 2015–2016
C South Korea Son Hyun-jun 2016/08/13 2016/11/21 2016
9 2016/11/22 2017/05/22 2017
C Brazil André 2017/05/23 2017/11/15 2017
10 2017/11/16 2020/01/28 2017–2019
C South Korea Lee Byung-keun 2020/01/30 2020/11/05 2020
11 2020/11/06 2021/12/20 2021
12 Brazil Alexandre Gama 2021/12/22 2022/08/14 2022
C South Korea Choi Won-kwon 2022/08/15 2022/11/07 2022
13 2022/11/07 2024/04/19 2023–2024
14 South Korea Park Chang-hyun 2024/04/23 present 2024–

Honours

League

Runners-up (1): 2016

Cups

Winners (1): 2018
Runners-up (1): 2021

Season-by-season records

Domestic record

Season League FA Cup
Div. GP W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos.
2003 1 44 7 16 21 38 60 –22 37 11 QF
2004 24 7 7 10 30 31 –1 28 10 Ro32
2005 24 8 6 10 30 29 +1 30 8 QF
2006 26 8 10 8 32 30 +2 34 7 QF
2007 26 6 6 14 35 46 –11 24 12 Ro16
2008 26 8 2 16 46 58 –12 26 11 SF
2009 28 5 8 15 20 45 –25 23 15 QF
2010 28 5 4 19 28 57 –29 19 15 Ro32
2011 30 8 9 13 35 46 –11 33 12 Ro32
2012 44 16 13 15 55 56 –1 61 10 Ro16
2013 38 6 14 18 36 57 –21 32 13↓ Ro32
2014 2 36 13 8 15 50 47 +3 47 7 Ro32
2015 40 18 13 9 67 47 +20 67 3 Ro32
2016 40 19 13 8 53 36 +17 70 2↑ Ro32
2017 1 38 11 14 13 50 52 –2 47 8 Ro32
2018 38 14 8 16 47 56 –9 50 7 W
2019 38 13 16 9 46 37 +9 55 5 Ro16
2020 27 10 8 9 43 39 +4 38 5 Ro16
2021 38 15 10 13 41 48 –7 55 3 RU
2022 38 10 16 12 52 59 –7 46 8 SF
2023 38 13 14 11 42 43 –1 53 6 Ro16
2024 38 9 13 16 45 52 –7 40 11 R3
Key
  • W = Winners
  • RU = Runners-up
  • SF = Semi-final
  • QF = Quarter-final
  • Ro16 = Round of 16
  • Ro32 = Round of 32
  • R3 = Third round

AFC Champions League record

All results list Daegu's goal tally first.

Season Round Opposition Home Away Aggregate
2019 Group stage (Group F) Australia Melbourne Victory 4–0 3–1 3rd
China Guangzhou Evergrande 3–1 0–1
Japan Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0–1 0–2
2021 Group stage (Group I)[a] Japan Kawasaki Frontale 1–3 2–3 2nd
Philippines United City 7–0 4–0
China Beijing Guoan 5–0 3–0
Round of 16 Japan Nagoya Grampus — 2–4 —
2022 Play-off Thailand Buriram United 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–2 pen.) 		— —
Group stage (Group F)[a] China Shandong Taishan 4–0 7–0 1st
Singapore Lion City Sailors 0–3 2–1
Japan Urawa Red Diamonds 1–0 0–0
Round of 16 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1–2 (a.e.t.)[a] — —
  1. ^ a b c Played at a neutral venue.

Sponsors

Kit manufacturer

References

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