Victory, but maybe not the elation Team K League expected

Team K League (aka All-Stars) defeated Newcastle United in Suwon on Wednesday night. The home team were fully deserving of their victory, and several players really stood out. But was this worth the effort?

Team K League 1 (Kim Jin-gyu 37')

Newcastle United 0

After 90+ minutes in the grueling heat and humidity of late July in Suwon, Team K League emerged victorious from this Coupang Play Series 20205 match with Newcastle United. Despite the tricky conditions, the home side were fitter and more match-sharp, as expected, at this point in the calendar. Newcastle are, after all, preparing for the start of the Premier League season next month.

Team K League celebrate their win.

Manager Eddie Howe eluded to all that - and Team K League's experience of these fixtures - in his post-match comments. He also felt "we (Newcastle) could have gotten something from that match" especially with their second-half display. However, despite the narrow winning margin, Team K League were deserving winners. The best players on the display wore black and green (as opposed to white), and some of Kim Pan-gon's half-time reinforcements truly lit up the stage.

Central amongst them were the attacking trio of Cesinha, Jasir Asani, and Luan. The latter two, in particular, linked up so well you could be forgiven for thinking they were teammates at club level. Cesinha is not enjoying a season of struggle at Daegu, despite his best efforts to help his team avoid near-certain relegation, but from the moment he entered the fray, he was energetic, pacey, and dangerous. 

[READ: 5 observations from Team K League's win over Newcastle United]

The win, however, was built in the opening half. Lee Dong-gyeong was immense on the right wing, and would probably be worth an investment from an overseas club (since he's nearly finished his military service) but for his age (27). Lee's relationship with centre-forward Bruno Mota was the stand out feature of the opening half. Mota teed up Lee on seven minutes, and even though the Sangmu winger hit the side netting, Newcastle were warned of his talent. He should have scored later in the half, but he was on hand to assist Kim Jin-gyu for the only goal of the match.

Lee might have walked away with the man-of-the-match award had he played more than 45 minutes. Instead, Bruno Mota deserves the accolade for 90 minutes of winning headers, hard pressing, setting up teammates, and generally being a tough number 9 for Newcastle to deal with. His teammate at Anyang, Thomas Oude Kotte, lasted 85 minutes. Club manager Ryu Byeong-hoon was probably miffed to see his men play more minutes than anyone else on Team K League, but Anyang have a weekend off to recharge the batteries.

And what of Newcastle? Local interest centered on the precocious talents of winger Park Seung-soo. Howe said pre-match he would try to get minutes into the former Suwon star, and he did just that with 82 minutes on the clock. Park was given a hero's return to Big Bird, and then reminded everyone of his burgeoning talent when he skipped past three K League defenders in breathtaking fashion to win a corner for his team. The Newcastle fans stood in applause. His teammates high-fived him. His name was sung from all quarters. After full time, the 18-year-old was bombarded by Korean media.

Typically all action display from Cesinha.

Back at the press conference, Howe and the journalists sat through a very awkward experience. The sound system was terrifying. By the end, the assembled media were forced to abandon microphones because the screech was unbearable. The host, So Jun-il, visibly shrieked whenever a reporter asked a question. This technical glitch led to the press conference being cut short. And in many ways, it was the perfect ending to an already strange atmopshere around the ground.

The attendance was officially recorded at a notch above 27,000. With Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona also visiting, there's no way the organizers would have dreamed of a crowd this low. They must have hoped to cash in on the summer of football. Even though this was the least glamorous of the friendlies, it was the only game to be staged in Big Bird. 

Maybe the fixture came too soon. We know Korean fans adore seeing one of their own thrive abroad. If Park is able to establish himself as a member of the Newcastle first-team squad through the 2025-26 season, it'll raise his awareness for a potential future visit. But on the whole, the occasion felt a bit flat. There were 60,000 in Sangam for the visit of Atletico Madrid two years ago.

[READ: Who is Park Seung-soo, Newcastle United's latest signing?]

And the overriding sense was some in the crowd came for a K-POP concert, with 90 minutes of football as the support act. The reception girl group IVE got at half-time outstripped anything we saw in a footballing sense. That sort of night.

The question will now be; what does the future hold for Team K League, even in victory?

[LISTEN: #KLUPod | Preview: Team K League vs. Newcastle United, FC Seoul & Daegu FC vs. Barcelona]

Teams

Team K League brought a squad of 22 players to Suwon for this Wednesday night exhibition match at the Coupang Play Series 2025, managed by under-fire Ulsan HD gaffer Kim Pan-gon. Ironically, the man entrusted with assisting Kim would be one of the main contenders if Ulsan decide to make a managerial change in the near future. Lee Jung-hyo has seen his stock rise year-on-year at Gwangju FC, and surely would fancy a crack at a supposed 'big team' in Korea, or abroad.

Team K League:

Jo Hyeon-woo (c); Eo Jeong-won, Park Jin-seob, Byun Jun-soo, Thomas Oude Kotte; Lee Dong-gyeong, Lee Chang-min, Kim Dong-hyeon, Kim Jin-gyu; Mota, Jeon Jin-woo.

The bench of 11 players included Cesinha, Jasir Asani, and Kim Kyung-min.

Newcastle United brought a huge squad of 30, which meant a spot for former Bluewings starlet Park Seung-soo. Absent from the line up, of course, was wantaway striker Alexandar Isak.

Newcastle United:

Nike Pope; Jamaal Lascelles (c), Emil Krafth, Tino Livramento, Alex Murphy; Sandro Tonali, Joe Willock, Lewis Miley; Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga, Will Osula.

[READ: Eddie Howe's post-match reaction]

Up next

Team K League disbands for another year. Newcastle United, however, will travel north to Seoul to face Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Best player: Bruno Mota.

Attendance: 27,422.