2020 FA Cup Round 2 Preview

This Saturday sees all ten K League 2 sides enter the FA Cup as they face the winners of the first round, made up of teams from the newly reformatted K3, K4 and K5 leagues. With the possibility of opportunities to pick up much-needed wins and also witness cup upsets, K League United previews each match of Round 2.

Rules

For the most part, the FA Cup follows similar rules to that of the league. However, there are a number of differences that should be noted. Matchday squads shall be comprised of 18 playing staff (eleven starting plus seven substitutes) with three substitutions allowed within ninety minutes. If a game heads into extra time, however, an additional substitution is then allowed. Matchday squads do not have to adhere to the U22 quota but are still subject to the international player quota, ie. three international players plus one player from an Asian confederation.

All matches were originally slated to be a single-leg until the semi-final and final when the format should have resorted to home and away legs. However, reports prior to the tournament stated that the two-legged semi-final will be scrapped this year due to fixture congestion with the league and AFC. If a single-leg fixture is tied after ninety-minutes, teams shall play thirty minutes of extra-time and, if still level, will face a penalty shootout in an ABAB format.

In regards to VAR, video refereeing technology will not be employed until the semifinal stage of the competition.

Fixtures

Fixtures for this competition have been drawn as far as Round 4, the draw for which can be followed below.

Image provided by Jake Hevican

#DHFCvCHU: Daejeon Hana Citizen (K2) vs Chuncheon FC (K3) - 19:00 KST

Originally slated to take place in Chuncheon, this fixture has since been switched to Daejeon World Cup Stadium on account of Chuncheon FC not being able to use their home stadium due to ongoing renovations. Not that Daejeon should require the home advantage, however. The Purples have been in fine form in the K League 2 this season, going unbeaten and sitting in second-place. They also have scored the second-highest number of goals, with striker André Luis joint-leader in the golden boot race. Manager Hwang Sun-hong may opt to rotate his squad for this fixture though and potentially offer up starts to several fringe players such as Jeong Hee-woong and Choi Jae-hyun.

Chuncheon FC have made a less than impressive start to the new campaign, picking up just a point from their first three K3 matches. The Gangwon-based side's only win so far was the 4-0 demolition of Seoul-based Byuksan Players FC from K5. Chuncheon have never made it beyond the Round of 16 and have come up against K League opposition in the FA Cup just twice, losing both times - Jeonnam in 2019 and Ulsan in 2017.

You can read Paul Neat's full preview here.

This game will be broadcast live on the KFA_LIVE YouTube Channel.

#ANSvSIH: Ansan Greeners (K2) vs Siheung Citizen (K4) - 19:00 KST

Ansan Greeners will be hoping that the FA Cup can offer them a welcome reprieve after a stuttering start to their K League 2 campaign this season which has seen them lose their last four outings. The Green Wolves will be hoping to also better their showing in this year's tournament after falling at the first hurdle last year, losing 3-2 to eventual semifinalists Hwaseong FC.

Siheung Citizen also enter this match on the back of some underwhelming form, with the K4 side still yet to register a win in their first four league matches and losing last weekend to Goyang Citizen. They find themselves in Round 2 of the competition, however, after defeating K5 outfit Daedok Winner Star in Round 1 to the tune of two goals to nil.

- Matthew Binns

#UFCvBUC: Ulsan Citizen (K4) vs Bucheon FC 1995 (K2) - 19:00 KST

In what is just their second season, Ulsan Citizen picked up their first ever FA Cup win in the previous round, making light work of Gimhae Jaemics with a 5-1 victory. The South Gyeongsang side have made an indifferent start to the new K4 season with a win, a draw, and a loss. However, Ulsan head into Saturday's cup tie with Bucheon having picked up a first league win of the campaign - a 2-1 victory over Seoul United. Ulsan will one or two former K League players in their ranks, most notably ex-Daejeon midfielder Cho Ye-chan.

K League 2 side Bucheon have made an excellent start, bar the 1-0 loss to Jeju United in Round 4. The Reds bounced back from the late defeat to United by getting one over Gyeonggi Province neighbours Suwon FC. Given how well Song Sun-ho's men have started the season, the former Yukong Elephants defender will be expected to field a second string down in Ulsan. Bucheon haven't come up against a non-K League team in the FA Cup since 2017 and a non-university side since 2016 but have remained unbeaten in their last five encounters. The most recent was a 2-0 win over Incheon University three years ago.

- Paul Neat

You can read George Slade's full preview here.

#GYEvPYE: Gyeongju Citizen (K3) vs Pyeongtaek Citizen (K3) - 13:00 KST

K3 League's Gyeongju Citizen will take on their division counterparts Pyeongtaek Citizen. Founded in 2008, Gyeongju are nicknamed “The Bees” after their yellow and black coloured shirts. Albeit their few successes, they didn’t earn much recognition until they stunningly humiliated Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda 2-1 in a friendly game ahead of 2017 season. This season, they are ranked 10th with four points from three games. 2019 K3 League Best Midfielder winner Kim Jinyoung as their most influential player.

The visitors are a club with a very short history, founded in 2017 when they first joined K3 League Basic (then tier 4) and earned a promotion to the upper-division in their inaugural season. This season, Pyeongtaek are ranked 12th out of 16 teams with two points from three games. Interestingly, they have a number of foreign players including Gambian midfielder Gomez and 2017 K3 League Golden Boot winner Roberto. This is along with a few former K League players including Pohang youth player Kim Roman and former Bucheon and Daejeon defender Ahn Ilju. They eased past K5 League Yangju Dukye FC 5-0 to reach Round 2.

- Muyeol Jung

#GIMvCHE: Gimhae FC (K3) vs Cheonan City (K3) - 19:00 KST

Two giants from K3 League will clash to qualify for a place in FA Cup Round 3. Gimhae FC, led by former Suwon Bluewings manager Yoon Sunghyo, are having a perfect start to the league with three wins in a row. The Gaya Kingdom seem to be very attack-minded, playing in a 4-4-2 formation and look agile in moving forward through the flanks. In contrast to their league performances, they struggled to beat Busan Transportation FC in the first round, eventually winning 1-0 thanks to goal from towering Brazilian defender Carlos in extra time. Yoon Sunghyo’s side have many familiar names to K League fans, for example, former Pohang and Jeonnam Striker Bae Chunseok, former FC Seoul forward Park Heeseong, former Ulsan foward Kim Minkyu, former Daegu FC and Seoul ELand attacker Ju Hanseong, and ex-Jeju midfielder Park Suchang who was a rising star after once scoring four goals in a first half. Among them, the former Seoul man is the top scorer in the team with three goals. They were one of the quarter-finalists in the 2018 FA Cup.

Like Gimhae, Cheonan City FC have an equally great squad with top profile talent for the third tier. The club, aiming to join K League 2 in near future, are cruising smoothly, undefeated with one win and two draws under legendary Korean defender Kim Taeyoung. They look a bit loose at the back with too much space exposed, however, their attacks are dangerous with six goals in three games. Their key players are former Suwon Bluewings midfielder Ko Chawon, former Jeonbuk Hyundai forward Heo Junho, former Daegu FC Keum Gyojin, Hong Seunghyun, and Dutch forward Jerri van Ewijk. The former PSV Eindhoven youth product scored two goals in three games and has garnered interest from the fans. Cheonan City FC entered the competition in Round 2.

- Muyeol Jung

#KHNPvSMC: Gyeongju KHNP (K3) vs SMC Engineering (K5) - 17:00 KST

Two times National League Champions Gyeongju KHNP will play host to 2019 K5 League Champions SMC Engineering to try and advance to the FA Cup third round. The hosts, KHNP are undefeated in K3 League with two wins and a draw and they are showing off their attacking instinct with eight goals scored. They have plethora of talents in the squad who used to play in K League 1 or 2 before and can easily suffocate the opponents. Some big names are former Suwon Bluewings Striker Seo Donghyun, former Gyeongnam, Seoul ELand and Suwon FC forward Lee Jaean, and former Pohang Steelers winger Shin Young-Joon.

Established in 1994, SMC Engineering club are reigning K5 League Champions as well as regional league title holders in Chungbuk North Province. Despite the club doing their business in the top level of amateur football, they are not a total stranger to this level of FA Cup. In 2019 FA Cup, they stunned K4 League side Seoul Jungnang FC thanks to Kim Sangwoo’s stoppage winner before they exited in Round 2. This season, the striker Kim remains a household name for them, scoring a brace in a 3-1 win over another K5 team Wonju Haneul FC in the first round of FA Cup.

- Muyeol Jung

#SUWvHYO: Suwon FC (K2) vs Hyochang FC (K5) - 16:00 KST

Suwon FC take on Gwangju-based K5 side Hyochang FC this Saturday looking for just a third FA Cup win in six years. Last term, Suwon bowed out in the 4th Round to then-holders Daegu FC 2-1, despite taking the lead. As a K League side, from 2013 onward, the Gyeonggi Province outfit have come up against lower league opposition on five occasions and have lost just once - a 2-1 reverse at home to the now defunct Ulsan Mipo Dockyard Dolphins in 2015. Kim Do-kyun's men will be heavy favourites for Saturday's tie and are expected to look a lot different personnel wise with fringe players expected to take to the field.

Hyochang were founded in 1997 and have the K6 Gwangju league title and K5 Gwangju South Jeolla titles to their name from 2018 and 2019 respectively. Hyochang's first win of the campaign came via forfeit against Namgu Inter FC. They followed that up with a real win the following week, hammering Bukgu Byukok FC 4-0 thank to braces from Guk Seung-eun and Choi Kwon-wook. Since then, Hyochang have picked up just a point from their next two matches but make it to the FA Cup 2nd Round, Hyochang made light work of East Ulsan FC with a 5-2 win. That afternoon, goals came from Nam Il-woo, a brace from Choi Kwon-wook, Park Sung-hyun, and Park Ki-pyo.

- Paul Neat

#HWAvDKR: Hwaseong FC (K3) vs Daejeon Korail (K3) - 16:00 KST

Two sides who enjoyed impressive runs in the competition last year, Hwaseong FC and Daejeon Korail, meet in the second round this Saturday. Hwaseong made it all the way to the semi-finals and lost over two legs to Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Hwaseong held a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg thanks to former Bluewings midfield Moon Jun-ho with a tremendous long ranger. However, a Yeom Ki-hoon hat-trick ended their FA Cup dream and a chance to play Daejeon Korail in the final.

Former National League side Daejeon Korail displaced Ulsan Hyundai, Seoul E-Land, Gangwon FC, and Sangju Sangmu on the way to the final and even held the Bluewings goalless at home in the first leg. However, a 4-0 defeat at Big Bird meant that Korail had to make do with runners up medals. Although a repeat of last week's K3 clash, these two sides have never met in the cup before and, after last year's heroics, it will be interesting to see if the magic of the FA Cup remains with some of the players from 2019.

- Paul Neat

This game will be broadcast live on the KFATV_LIVE YouTube Channel.

#JEJvSON: Jeju United (K2) vs Songwol FC (K5) - 15:00 KST

The second of two matches that see a K League 2 side take on a K5 League team sees Songwol FC travel to the island to face Jeju United, a team that were plying their trade in the AFC Champions League just two seasons ago. A lot may have changed for Jeju since but overhaul in the winter has seem them tipped to be title-challengers in their division and they will be hoping to make a strong run in the cup to accompany it. While admittedly they did initially struggle to adapt to life in the second tier, picking up just a solitary point in their first three matches of 2020, they have won their last two and will be hoping to maintain momentum. Joo Min-kyu has four goals in five games but could be rested and replaced by K League legend Jung Jo-gook who is in need of minutes since his mid-winter switch.

Songwol FC enter this round after easing past Garam FC 4-0 in their first cup match. Im Jin-wook, a new arrival at the club, scored twice in that fixture to help set up this enticing clash and will be hoping he can continue to make a name for himself on Saturday. They also their opened their league campaign with an end-to-end 3-3 draw with Ganseok FC, pointing towards the team's attacking instincts. With nothing to lose, could Songwol turn a few heads and cause the upset of the round?

- Matthew Binns

You can read Branko Belan's full preview here.

Fans in Korea can watch the match live on Naver TV.

#SEFCvCHA: Seoul E-Land (K2) vs Changwon City (K3) - 20:00 KST

Having picked up their first win in nine months, Seoul E-Land head into the FA Cup hoping to build on this with a victory over Changwon City. The Leopards pre-season overhaul has been showing plenty of potential in the opening rounds of the league, with credible draws against Jeju United, Gyeongnam FC and Jeonnam Dragons. Winger Leandro has been one of the standout players for Seoul this season, appearing in three best elevens in five rounds. Manager Chung Jung-yong may opt to rest his best talent for this match but expect the Brazilian to be called upon if the hosts are struggling.

K3 side Changwon City also come into this match having picked up their first league win of the season last week, albeit having only played three matches so far. They also overcame K4 outfit Pocheon FC in the first round, winning 3-1 after extra time. Last season, Changwon enjoyed a run to the FA Cup quarterfinals before being knocked out by Sangju-Sangmu and fans will be hoping they can cause an upset this year. Having signed Cho Suk-jae from finalists Daejeon Korail in the winter, they will be hoping the former Jeonnam, Daegu and Anyang man can offer the experience to lead such a charge once more.

- Matthew Binns

You can read Michael Redmond's full preview here.

Fans in Korea can watch the match live on Kakao TV.

#ANYvGOY: FC Anyang (K2) vs Goyang Citizen (K4) - 15:00 KST

The first-ever meeting between K League 2's FC Anyang and K4 side Goyang Citizen is set to take place this Saturday afternoon in Anyang. The hosts enter on a two-match unbeaten run following a 2-0 win over Seoul E-Land and 1-1 draw with Jeonnam Dragons. Points in back-to-back matches has turned things around from a truly rough stretch that saw the Violets lose three straight to start the season. Held scoreless on just a single occasion this season, Anyang should be well primed to keep the trend going and get at least one past their lower division opponents this weekend. The difficulty will come in hanging on to any lead they may have, as we have seen them drop points from a winning position against Gyeongnam and Jeonnam already this season. 

Goyang Citizen enter this massive FA Cup tie on a high having won 2-0 last time out against Siheung Citizen. The win was their second in four matches in all competitions, including the 3-1 FA Cup victory over Seoul Jungnang that set up this encounter. With just three goals conceded in their first four matches, the defense seems well set up to challenge the resurrected attack of Anyang. The difficulty will come in creating chances at the other end of the pitch against a higher division opponent, and ensuring they at least work the goalkeeper when they do. Considering Anyang have held just one clean sheet this season, there's enough to suggest Goyang will get at least a handful of opportunities, it will just be a matter of whether or not they can capitalize on them to pull off the upset. 

- Ryan Walters

Fans in Korea can watch the match live on Naver TV.

#CAFCvJCFC: Chungnam Asan (K2) vs Jeonju Citizen (K3) - 19:00

Chungnam Asan will be hoping for a reprieve from their faltering K League 2 form when they welcome K3 League side Jeonju Citizen. Asan's transition to a citizen club has not gone as smoothly on the pitch as first envisaged, with the side still yet to pick up a victory and just two points from their first five showings. More worryingly, they are yet to pick up a home win making the visit from Jeonju a concerning one. The team have scored just three goals this season, and with one of those goalscorers Armin Mujakic being replaced early last time out through injury, manager Park Dong-hyuk will be hoping other members of his team can use this cup match to step up and find form to take back into their league campaign.

Jeonju Citizen's start to the league campaign has also been rough, losing their first three matches. However, those three opponents have included the champions from last year's National League in addition to Daejeon Korail who made the final of the FA Cup last season. Their only win of the year has come against K5 opposition in the first round where Jeonju ran out 2-0 winners over Bluebird FC.

- Matthew Binns

You can read Branko Belan's preview full here.

Fans in Korea can watch the match live on Naver TV.

#JDFCvCCFC: Jeonnam Dragons (K2) vs Chungju Citizen (K4) - 15:00

Jeonnam Dragons have started their season well and remain as one of two teams in the second-tier still unbeaten after five rounds. Their opposition has included some of the league favourites, yet just a single victory will be of concern and they will be hoping that facing lower league opposition could provide a good springboard to boost their league campaign.

Chungju Citizen have picked up one win and two losses in their start to the K4 League season, just scoring a single goal in the process. Reaching the second round of this competition was far more exciting, however, defeating fellow K4 outfit Seoul Nowon United 4-3 after extra-time to set up this away trip to Gwangyang. Given that Jeonnam have the best defensive record in K League 2, however, Chungju are understandably tipped to struggle this weekend.

- Matthew Binns

You can read Joshua Higgins' full preview here.

Fans in Korea can watch this match live on Naver TV or Kakao TV.

#GYEvMOK: Gyeongnam FC (K2) vs Mokpo City FC (K3) - 19:00 KST

After a closely contested 2-2 draw with fellow division favourites Daejeon Hana Citizen, the FA Cup may serve as more of a distraction to Gyeongnam who are looking to keep up with the pack in the league. The Reds welcome Mokpo City FC also, a K3 League team with a track record of bloodying the nose of higher-level opposition in this competition. Manager Seol Ki-hyun is likely to reshuffle the pack for this affair, testing out players who have lacked game time so far and players in need of finding form.  The hope is that Nick Ansell can make his debut for the home side as he returns from injury, in addition to striker Luc Caistagnos who is yet to see the field this campaign.

Mokpo City come into this competition after a mixed start to their league campaign, picking up one win, one draw and a loss. They reached this round after defeating K4 outfit Yanpyeong FC 3-2 but know their task on Saturday will be far tougher. Interestingly, it will be former Gyeongnam striker Kim Yeong-wook who could pose the biggest threat as he faces his former employers. Kim has found the net three times in the first three matches this year after returning to the club following a disappointing season at Gangneung FC.

- Matthew Binns

You can read James Edrupt's full preview here.

#PAJvGIM: Paju Citizen (K4) vs Gimpo Citizen (K3) - 15:00 KST

Paju Citizen have began life in the newly tiered K4 League with a draw and defeat so far, although their 3-0 victory over Yangju Citizen in the first round of this competition should give them hope, even if all three goals were scored during extra time. Last year Paju progressed to the fourth round of this competition, defeating three university sides before being knocked out K League 1 outfit Gangwon FC.

Gimpo Citizen are entering the competition in this round and may welcome the change of scenery given their early season form. Two defeats and a draw in the league have left them looking up at the majority of their peers from the lowly position of eleventh and the side will likely relish the opportunity to face a side a division below them. Gimpo boast a number of former K League talent including former Pohang and Jeju defender Kim Won-il, in addition to striker Kim Dong-chan, the 2016 K League 2 golden boot winner and former AFC Champions League finalist with Jeonbuk in 2011.  They will be hoping their experience can ease them through to the third round.

- Matthew Binns

#GANGvCHEO: Gangneung City FC (K3) vs Cheongju FC (K3) - 19:00 KST

National League champions Gangneung City FC enter the competition in Round 2 and have taken to the re-tiered K3 League in the same way they left off last season, by winning. Gangneung have won their first three matches, scoring five times and conceding once. With five different goalscorers, there are multiple players Cheongju will be aware of, notably including Lee Seung-hyun. The former Suwon FC player and AFC Champions League runner up with Jeonbuk (famously scoring the late equaliser to send the game to extra time) is now plying his trade at the coastal club and boasts the experience to lead this side further into the competition.

As for Cheongju FC, their form after moving up to the K3 League has been a stark contrast, losing twice and drawing one of their opening three matches. Furthermore, Cheongju are yet to find the net in the league this season with their only goal being in the 1-0 victory over K4 League's Icheon Citizen in Round 1 of the cup. Despite being up against the odds this Saturday, last season saw the side made it through three rounds of the competition before eventually being defeated by Gyeongju KNHP. Most notably this run saw them knockout K League 1 outfit Incheon United, their highest-profile scalp in their history. Can they cause an upset this weekend?

- Matthew Binns