2024 Season Review: FC Seoul secure long-awaited Final A finish

FC Seoul's first season under the stewardship of manager Kim Gi-dong brought a fourth-place finish and likely qualification for the AFC Champions League. In a season that saw K League make headlines all over the world due to Jesse Lingard's move to the Korean capital, FC Seoul can chalk the year down as one of progress and as a platform to build on for next year.

First Mission Complete?

Overall Record - 16 wins, 10 draws, 12 losses (58 points)

FC Seoul ended the season in fourth place, marking the capital club's first top-six finish since 2019 which, in theory, should mean a place in the AFC Champions League for next season but that depends on whether K League teams win either of this season's competitions. It took a while for Seoul to truly get going, with two wins and two draws from the first five games looking like a decent start but after the 0-0 draw with Daegu in Round 6, Seoul went on a run of three wins in 11 in the league. 

Five straight home losses from mid-April to early June was an unwanted club record. But then six straight home wins from mid-June to late August and an overall run of nine wins in 11 almost had them in the title conversation. A late-season mini-slump threatened to curtail their progress, though, ending the campaign with three wins from their last 10, but on the bright side, eight points from 12 in the last four games, including a final-day win over Gimcheon sealed a top-four berth - the first mission in turning this club back into one that challenges for honours.

What Went Well

Seoul were defensively sound and ended the campaign with the third-fewest goals against tally with 42. Kim Ju-sung had a good season and blossomed alongside summer recruit Yazan Al-Arab, the all-action Jordan international. Seoul were pretty potent at the other end, too, with 55 goals scored being the joint-third highest in the league. All in all, Seoul looked good in transitions and had dangerous players who could execute a good counterattack. On the whole, recruitment can be seen as a success with most of the players signed in 2024 making positive contributions. That includes Jesse Lingard who finished the season with six goals and three assists and if you ignore Rebin Sulaka and Takuya Shigehiro.

What Didn't Go Well

With it being a very positive season for FC Seoul, it's hard to pinpoint something specific that didn't go too well. If we're nitpicking, there was a bit of a reliance on Stanislav Iljutcenko to score goals. He got 14 with five assists and Lingard was second with six, followed by Willyan and Cho Young-wook with four each. There was a strange reluctance for Kim Gi-dong to use Ronaldo Tavares and Willyan, both effective players when given a chance. Ronaldo in particular who ran Jeonbuk ragged in that 5-1 win in the summer. The Portuguese looked unplayable but was barely given a chance. There was also that dismal run of five straight home losses and a heavy 5-1 loss to Pohang in the cup which made it look like the team were unable to dig themselves out of a rut, but proved to be blips in an otherwise successful year. 

Young Player of the Year

No single under-22 player had a stand-out year for FC Seoul but a handful made solid contributions at various points throughout. Centre back Park Seong-hoon, for example, featured 12 times and looked very assured for a 21-year-old who had played just two K League games before this season. Winger Kang Ju-hyeok made 10 appearances, albeit only three from the start, but managed to score one and assist one. Kang only turned 18 in August and looks like a real prospect. Midfielder Hwang Do-yoon got a run in the team towards the end of the campaign and did not look out of place. Settling on a reliable U22 player for 2025 will be something for the manager to do during pre-season.

Team MVP

Stanislav Iljutcenko

The powerful striker bagged 14 to finish as the league's second-top scorer and also registered a very healthy five assists for 19 goal contributions in 36 appearances and 27 starts. In terms of match-winners or goals in tight games, Iljutcenko helped Seoul earn seven points more, and including assists it's more like 13. Finally, Seoul had a striker to lead the line and handle the responsibility of being that guy for the team. His expected departure at the end of the year is all the more baffling when looking back at Iljutcenko's contributions in 2024. There must also be special mentions for Choi Jun who was superb at right back and did a good job in midfield too when the team had injuries, as well as Lingard who raised standards and grew into K League as the season progressed to register six goals and three assists.

Expected More

There are a few players who didn't quite live up to expectations. Willyan is one but he was hardly used, making only seven starts from 27 appearances overall. Cho Young-wook too did just about enough with four goals and four assists but you have to wonder about him - what is his best position, and what can be done to really unlock his potential? He's not a kid anymore at 25 - 26 by the time the new season kicks off. Kang Seong-jin is another with two goals and one assist from 22 appearances (13 starts) but Kim Gi-dong appears to be trying to mould him into a centre forward. He's also still only 21 and young enough to be seen as a player of potential. 

Most Important Decision for the Off-season

FC Seoul's squad needs a bit of a clearout and the foreign player spots need addressing. Kim Gi-dong needs to turn this bloated fallen giant into a lean and hungry machine in 2025, ready to kick on and push for the title. In terms of the club's foreign talent, contracted for next season are Aleksandar Paločević, who will return from his loan spell with OFK Beograd, Jesse Lingard, Lucas Silva, and Willyan. A replacement for Iljutcenko is needed as the main priority but also finding the right combination to get the best out of the foreign players is needed. Four can be played at the same time, which looks like it will be Yazan Al-Arab, Lingard, Lucas Silva, plus one more.