"I don't understand why professional teams have to struggle this much with the U-22 regulation."
Ulsan Hyundai lost 2-3 against FC Seoul in the 27th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2025, held at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 24th. With this, Ulsan remains unable to get out of 8th place, staying at 34 points (9 wins, 7 draws, 11 losses).
They lost the flow from the early stages of the first half. Ulsan conceded the opening goal to Seoul's Choi Jun in the 7th minute. Although Go Seung-beom equalized in the 23rd minute by finishing off Jo Hyun-taek's cross, they immediately allowed another score from Jo Young-wook and Hwang Do-yoon, finishing the first half at 1-3.
In the second half, they launched a counterattack. Kang Sang-woo and Lee Jin-hyun attempted shots one after another but failed to score, thwarted by Choi Cheol-won's excellent saves. Ulsan maintained control and pressed until the end, and in stoppage time, Eric, receiving a pass from Kang Sang-yoon, scored a consolation goal, but ultimately they ran out of time to turn the game around.
In the end, Ulsan was unable to break the losing streak against Seoul and did not gain any points, postponing their chance for a turnaround this season.
Shin Tae-yong, who took the helm at Ulsan Hyundai on Aug. 5, returned to the K League after quite some time. His last time coaching a K League team was during his stint with Seongnam in 2012. Coach Shin is still going through a period of 'adjustment.'
Before the match, Coach Shin commented, "I am in the process of adapting to the U-22 regulation," and noted, "After training, while trying to set the starting lineup, I found myself changing it several times thinking, 'Oh, there's the U-22 rule.'" He laughed.
The K League changed regulations in 2019 to secure playing time for players under 22 years old. It is mandatory to include at least two players under 22 in the roster, and at least one of them must start to use all five substitution cards. Therefore, many teams prioritize including U-22 resources in the starting lineup and use substitution cards early.
Coach Shin expressed frustration, saying, "Even after training, the lineup keeps changing because of that rule. I am still familiarizing myself, but there are moments when I get confused. For example, if two are playing, it's five, if only one is playing, it's four, and I momentarily get confused about how many need to be in the roster, leading to difficulties in the substitution or lineup-setting process."
"I have almost got used to it," Coach Shin said. "Just the other day, I set the lineup and then suddenly changed it within two days. It's actually quite complicated. I also question whether this is really necessary."
Coach Shin raised concerns, saying, "I don't understand why professional teams have to struggle this much with the U-22 regulation."
He also talked about regulations regarding foreign players. He stated, "In places like the Middle East, it's fine if all 11 players are foreign, but we have constraints where we must match 4 out of 6 players. It might be better to clarify the rules, saying, 'Foreign players can be registered freely, but only 4 can actually participate.'"
He added, "Because we are trying to fit the vague regulation of '4 out of 6', teams participating in the Asian Champions League are inevitably at a disadvantage."
Coach Shin emphasized, "Especially if there's a Wednesday match, we have to travel long distances by plane, which means we need at least double the domestic player resources. But, can we secure that many players in the domestic market? It's absolutely difficult."
He stated, "I believe we should change the foreign player limit to 'only 4 can participate, but registration is free.' This way, the K League can enhance its competitiveness and climb the ranks on the Asian stage; personally, I see it that way."
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