Gangwon FC's 2024 Has Been Record-Breaking: Here's How | OneFootball

It’s no secret that Gangwon FC have enjoyed their best-ever top-flight season in 2024. Currently in third place, the provincial club have smashed any expectations placed on them, and possess the chance to make history. That is, of course, in addition to some of the records they’ve already broken, or had players of theirs break. Columnist Nathan Sartain covers all the achievements of Gangwon’s 2024, while considering the one final accolade the team must strive for.

Youngest First-Team Players

For a while, Yang Min-hyuk was Gangwon’s youngest-ever player to make a first-team appearance, having made his debut at the age of 17. However, while the Tottenham-bound forward is still the Bears’ youngest goalscorer, winger Kim Hyeong-jin - who is seven months Yang’s junior - has broken the aforementioned record. Still, all of the above is a strong sign Yoon Jong-hwan is trusting in his youth, and realises the long-term benefits of giving prospects first-team football whenever they’re ready.

One thing that cannot be taken away from Yang Min-hyuk, however, is his goalscoring prowess. So much so, the 18-year-old is the youngest player in K League history to reach 10 goals, an accolade achieved when the forward scored in the first-half of Gangwon’s 3-1 away victory at Incheon United. With six assists to his name too, Yang has had a phenomenal breakout year as part of a generally free-scoring team, and will hope to be key to the Bears’ Final A ambitions in the coming weeks.

Longest Win Streak

Even in some of Gangwon’s more successful years, one thing they couldn’t quite do is put together a sustained win streak. Yet in 2024, that’s exactly what the team did, with five consecutive victories across May and June helping really cement the club’s aims for a resurgent year. In that time, the Bears also managed a 1-0 triumph over Ulsan HD - only their second against the Horangi in over a decade - and moved themselves from mid-table, to pushing at the top-end of the division.

For good measure, Gangwon would later go on a four-game win streak, with the final two matches of that run (a 2-1 win over Gimcheon, and a 3-2 comeback victory at home to Gwangju), rocketing the Bears to first-place. And, while they’re not quite there now, the team still owe a lot to those two purple patches, as they could help in securing continental qualification come season’s end.

Highest Top-Flight Points Tally

On three separate occasions, Gangwon had managed 49 points in K League 1 competition (2012, 2017, 2022), while in 2019, the provincial club reached the 50-point mark for the first time in their history. Nevertheless, the Bears have already gained 55 this year, in turn making it their most successful top-flight campaign in terms of tangible output regardless of where they go from here.

A large part of the reason for Gangwon’s recent success, is their excellent record against teams in the bottom-half. In fact, 12 of the Bears' 16 victories so far have came against those ranked from 7-12th, as have five of their seven draws (totalling 75% of their regular season points tally). Furthermore, of the Final B competitors, only Gwangju managed to beat Gangwon in 2024, and that was back in round two.

Anyway, those statistics form a clear indicator that Gangwon’s front-footed, attacking approach has worked against the less in-form teams, and perhaps bodes well for the future too, as the Bears look to keep building a squad able to compete consistently in Final A.

Highest Top-Flight Win Total

Helping aid the above point, Gangwon have also broken their previous highest win total, winning 16 times in 2024 (previously, the provincial club had only ever won as many as 14 K League 1 games in a single season).

Again, the reasons for this are pretty clear based on the prior section, though one understated factor is the team’s away form. Although eight of Gangwon’s 10 defeats have came on the road, the Bears have still scored seven wins while on their travels, their highest amount since 2017. Included in this run are 2-1 comeback wins against both Suwon FC and Gimcheon Sangmu, two fellow Final A competitors. And, to further outline these improvements, only Pohang Steelers and Suwon FC (24) have picked up more away points than Yoon Jong-hwan’s men this year (23).

Highest K League 1 Finish?

Now, though, there is one final box for Yoon Jong-hwan and co. to tick. Gangwon have never finished above sixth in K League 1, meaning they have never qualified for the AFC Champions League, or really been in pole-position to do so.

This year, it’s different. The Bears in are in third, still technically in the title race, and certainly in the driver’s seat when it comes to securing themselves continental qualification. The chance for history is there, and with two home fixtures starting off their Final A run (FC Seoul, followed by Gimcheon Sangmu), Yoon Jong-hwan will know his team have to try and hit the ground running. If they succeed in doing so, and Gangwon go on to score a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite, there can be no disputing this team are bona fide history-makers, fully deserving of their lofty praise for what has already been a fruitful 2024.