2025 Season Preview: Busan IPark | OneFootball

Busan IPark's incredible collapse in 2023 looks to be hanging over the club even as they seek a new identity under the management of Cho Seung-hwan. They endured a very difficult season last year, losing regularly at home meaning the fans stayed away. It is difficult to see this season being any better after a quiet transfer window as rivals strengthened significantly.

Last Season

16 wins, 8 draws, 12 losses; 5th place in K League 2.

What Happened?

Following the harrowing failure to earn promotion in 2023, all eyes were on Busan IPark and Park Jin-sub to see if they could overcome that career-defining experience and bounce back immediately. On paper, they looked like being one of the two promotion favorites, alongside Suwon Samsung. It was from Suwon that they were reunited with striker An Byeong-jun, and it was hoped the North Korean could enjoy an Indian summer on the south coast after a miserable period in Suwon. First up for Busan were Seoul E-Land, who recruited heavily in the winter. But adding intrigue to the fixture was the presence of Kim Do-kyun in the visiting dugout. Kim was with Suwon FC the previous season, when his second-half substitutions swung the tie in his team's favor, allowing them to overcome a 3-1 aggregate deficit to stay in K League 1. It was an early opportunity for Park to gain revenge. He didn't. Seoul won 3-0 and Busan were off to the worst possible start.

That kickstarted a bizarre series of results for Park Jin-sub. Winning away - including an early title decider in Suwon - was commonplace. But picking up three points at home was virtually unheard of. It is difficult to turn a 60,000-seat World Cup Stadium into a fortress when the small crowd is sitting in temporary seats to minimize the impact of a running track, but the number of times visiting teams left Asiad with at least a point was unbelievable. After eight games, Busan were third in the table with 12 points from a possible 24. All 12 points came on the road. They were also racking up and conceding big scores. It wasn't until week nine did Busan record their first home win but by then, patience with Park had run out. He resigned in July and that victory over Ansan Greeners was Busan's only three points at home so far.

Former Incheon United manager Cho Seung-hwan was appointed a week later. It felt like a coup bringing in a man who had guided Incheon to top half finishes and a respectable AFC Champions League campaign the previous year. Cho began with back-to-back wins against Jeonnam Dragons and Gyeongnam FC before the terrible home form came back to bite Busan again. However, from late summer, Busan went on an 8-game unbeaten streak that hauled them back into the championship race. As Anyang began to flag, Busan looked best placed to take advantage. But that didn't last. In the end, they had to settle for 5th having been out of the playoff positions before the final game of the season. There would be no heroic conclusion to make up for the catastrophic collapse a year before. Jeonnam put the curtain down on their season at the first available opportunity.

Bruno Lamas has returned to Daegu FC after 2.5 years with Busan IPark. The 30-year-old Brazilian playmaker produced two outstanding seasons for Busan and his departure will leave a massive hole in the club's hopes of returning to the top flight. In the last two years, Lamas played 72 league games, scoring 21 goals and assisting 17 others. He looked to have single-handily dragged Busan up in 2023 with two goals in the first leg against Suwon FC, but, much like the rest of his team, faltered badly in the return. Experienced centre-back Lee Han-do has moved to FC Seoul, and short-term signing Peniel Mlapa swapped Busan for Thailand.

Free transfer signingJang Ho-ik left Suwon Bluewings for Busan, and has immediately taken over the captain's armband. The diminutive full back has played his entire professional career with the Bluewings (except for his military service with Sangmu) but has found opportunities hard to come by in recent years. Last season, he made just eight starts for Suwon. Another former Suwon full-back Kim Jin-rae arrives from Gyeongnam to offer some depth to the left side of the defense. A third former Bluewing, Son Suk-yong will add pace to their attack. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Park Dae-han moved to Busan from Chungbuk Cheongju. He kept 11 clean sheets in 24 K League 2 appearances in 2023.

Key Player

Fessin

Jefferson Gabriel Nascimento Brito, better known as Fessin, has taken over Bruno Lamas' #10 jersey, his goal scoring, assisting, and all round responsibility in attack. Not that Fessin didn't contribute last season; in fact, the Bazilian top scored with 11 despite not being a natural striker. Fessin in a classic number 10, is good with both feet, but he has an eye for a goal. He highlighted his creativity with five assists, improving his numbers from 2023. Fessin scored the only goal of the game when Busan went to Suwon in March and won what was seen as an early title battle. He was incredibly important as the season drew to a close and Busan's participation in the post-season was unclear. He notched a hat-trick against Ansan Greeners in late September, scored the winner (having previously equalized) in a vital 3-2 win away to Cheonan City on the penultimate weekend, and settled nerves on the last day. As Bucheon chased an equalizer having trailed 2-0, Fessin sealed Busan's place in the playoffs with his strike in the 87th minute.

The former U-20 Korean international is definitely worth keeping an eye on this season. Having just turned 22, Kim has played in K4 right through to the AFC Champions League. Following Lee Han-do's departure to FC Seoul, Kim will look to lock down a starting spot this season having seen a lot of game time in 2024. His season was interrupted by a long injury but when he returned in round 27, he played the full 90 minutes for the next 11 straight games. He's left-footed but can play on the right-side of the defense, and push forward into midfield.

OK, admittedly this is about their manager, more than the club. But it is meant to highlight what a mess Busan IPark are/have been for a while. It is worth revisiting Cho's resume at this point. Incheon United had never been a K League force, miraculously surviving relegation on several occasions, before Cho's appointment in 2020. Incheon fans might disagree - and obviously they watch their club more than I do - but he brought a culture and self-belief that was probably missing before. Incheon's recruitment was also smart, in the years before and during his reign. As manager, Incheon recorded two Final A finishes and made the semi-finals of the Cup. But it was in Asia where Cho brought Incheon to new heights. Qualifying for the Champions League for the first time, Incheon recorded back-to-back victories over Yokohama F. Marinos on their way to four wins and two loses in the pool. Both defeats came at the hands of Shandong Taishen. Incheon were partying with the big boys and didn't look out of place.

It all ended for Cho after a hopeless start to 2024. Around the same time, Park Jin-sub opted to part with Busan, presumably haunted by the 2023 promotion collapse. Why did Cho take this job, though? Busan - through various name changes - have a great history in Korean football. League, Cup, and continental champions, they have a trophy cabinet most clubs would die for. But they are a broken shell of a club. Despite being based in Korea's second biggest city, Busan IPark have no footprint. They averaged 3,071 fans (8th of 13) in 2024, playing out of two home stadiums. Both have a running track, and one is ridiculously oversized. The sporting landscape in Busan is completely dominated by the city's baseball club who, curiously, have endured decades of underachievement but still draw massive numbers. The Busan IPark squad isn't particularly strong, they won't challenge the league leaders, and the locals are disinterested. Are Busan a graveyard for an aspiring manager? Would Cho not have been better served biding his time? After all, the Gangwon managerial position opened up in the winter, and Suwon FC, Jeju SK, Daegu FC, and even Anyang might have a vacancy if the season starts poorly.

Reason to Watch

It is never boring with Busan. In 2023, they were the best team in K League 2, and led the title race going down the final stretch. Playing after their championship rivals Gimcheon Sangmu, they always knew what they had to do to stay ahead. When Gimcheon failed to win on the penultimate weekend, Busan knew three points in their final two games would guarantee automatic promotion. They were hammered in Gwangyang, but with 94 minutes played against Chungbuk Cheongju on the last day, they were up. Then, Cheongju won a free kick outside the box. It all ended in tears. Gimcheon were second for 10 straight weeks leading up to the final weekend. They finished first. Busan had one more chance, this time against Suwon FC in the play-offs. They led 3-1 on aggregate with 12 minutes to play, and seemingly in no danger. Busan did Busan things allowing Suwon take it to extra time. They were wiped out. How best to follow up that incredible meltdown? Well, how about lose lots of home matches, finish 5th, and get dumped out in the play-offs? If you want drama, go to Busan. Watch the football, but stay for the beers, beaches, baseball, and bridges.