Incheon United head coach Yoon Jung-hwan and Gangwon FC head coach Jung Kyung-ho, who together led Gangwon FC to the club's best-ever finish (second place) in K League 1 as head coach and top assistant, will face each other as opposing managers.
Gangwon FC, led by Jung Kyung-ho, will play an away match against Incheon in the 11th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026 at Incheon Football Stadium on May 2 at 4:30 p.m.
The most intriguing storyline in this match is the personal history between the two managers. Yoon, now at Incheon, led Gangwon to a second-place finish in K League 1 during the 2024 season. That runner-up finish remains the best result in the club's history. Throughout that season, Gangwon stood at the center of the K League 1 surge, driven by aggressive pressing, rapid transitions and resilient match management. Jung, now Gangwon's head coach, served as Yoon's top assistant at the time.
The two coaches parted ways after that season, when Yoon moved to take charge of Incheon. His vacated position at Gangwon was filled internally by Jung.
Both enjoyed successful campaigns at their respective clubs last season. Yoon led Incheon to the K League 2 title, guiding the team back to the top flight after just one season in the second tier.
Jung, making his managerial debut, instilled solid team cohesion and varied tactics at Gangwon. He delivered fifth place in K League 1, a semifinal run in the Korea Cup and a round-of-16 appearance in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite (ACLE).
This season, both clubs have emerged as "dark horses" in the league on the back of their solid organization, and each is targeting a leap to the top of the standings with a win in this head-to-head clash.
Fifth-place Incheon (14 points, 4 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses), who won back-to-back matches against Jeonbuk on the 21st (2-1) and Jeju on the 25th (1-0), could climb as high as third place with a win over Gangwon, depending on other results.
Sixth-place Gangwon (13 points, 3 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses), whose momentum was halted by a 1-2 loss to Seoul on the 25th, is determined to ride Incheon to regain their upward trajectory. Gangwon especially needs a turnaround after their unbeaten home run at Gangneung, which had stretched since July 2024, ended after 24 matches.
The match is expected to be decided by the battle for control in the early going. Another key viewing point will be how effectively Gangwon's defense — without Song Jun-seok (suspended after a red card) and Kang Jun-hyuk (injured) — can contain Incheon's strong attack led by Stefan Mugosa.
