“When I’m at home, they’re my kids, but when I’m on the field, they’re my kids.”
Gimpo FC head coach Choi Jeong-woon was adamant before the 23rd round of the ‘Hana OneQ K League 2 2023’ against Ansan Greeners at Gimpo Solter Soccer Stadium on the 24th. After six games without a win (three draws and three losses), Gimpo has rebounded by defeating Gimcheon Commerce (2-1) and Seoul Eland (1-0). Ansan, who came into the game on the cusp of a three-game winning streak, was a “must-win opponent, but it’s a more difficult game for our team,” said Ko.
For Ko, there was a reason why this game was even more important. Ko Tae-gyu, the number four in the Ansan lineup, started the game. Ko Tae-gyu is Ko’s son. This is the second father-son matchup in the history of the K League after Choi Soon-ho, the current head coach of Suwon FC, faced off against Choi Won-woo, whose son played for Gyeongnam FC in 2010. In the recent FA Cup, Seongnam FC’s Lee Ki-hyung and Pohang Steelers’ Lee Ho-jae faced off against each other. At the time, Lee scored two goals to create a buzz.
This will be the first time Ko and Tae-gyu Ko have faced each other on the same field. “It’s the first time we’re meeting. My son took a year off due to injury.” “I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. It’s the same. He’s ‘my boy’ when he’s at home. He’s not my kid now. On the field, the players on my team are ‘my baby'”. “I don’t even look at them before the game,” he added.
In fact, it’s difficult for both Ko and Tae-gyu to see each other because of the league. “I live in Gimpo, so I don’t go down to my home town very often. Tae-gyu also lives in Ansan, so we don’t see each other,” he said, adding, “I want our team to win and for Tae-gyu to do well. But in the end, we have to win. I’m sure he’s thinking about that too.”
In response to coach Lee Ki-hyung saying that he felt “burdened” before facing Lee Ho-jae, coach Ko laughed, saying, “What’s burdened? He does everything at home, but on the field, he’s not my child, so there’s no such thing.” When asked if they could play together someday, like when Kim Ki-dong played with his son Kim Jun-ho in Pohang, Ko waved off the idea, saying, “That’s not going to happen at all,” and added, “I would be uncomfortable and Tae-gyu would be uncomfortable. Director Kim Ki-dong has a great mentality. It’s because he has a lot of confidence in Kim Jun-ho. But I don’t. No matter how good I am, I don’t think I can be on the same team with my child.” He laughed.
As for the match, the son laughed. Ansan won 1-0 on a goal by Kim Bum-soo in the 41st minute. The victory lifted Ansan out of a 12-match winless streak, including a nine-game losing streak, with two draws and 10 losses. Go Tae-gyu kept Gimpo’s attack scoreless with a solid defense. 스포츠토토