The Korea Professional Football League (President Kwon Oh-gap, hereinafter referred to as 'the League') announced the appointment of Ulsan HD FC manager Kim Pan-gon as the head coach for Team K League, which will face Newcastle United in the '2025 Coupang Play Series.' It also stated that Gwangju FC manager Lee Jung-hyo has been appointed as the coach.
Manager Kim Pan-gon took over as Ulsan's manager last season and lifted the K League 1 championship trophy. He is currently leading the Ulsan squad as they participate in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as representatives of the K League. Manager Kim Pan-gon assumed the role of Team K League coach due to his status as the champion of K League 1 last season.
Lee Jung-hyo, appointed as the Team K League coach, has led Gwangju since 2022, achieving significant results including K League 2 championship and the ACLE quarterfinals, and is gaining attention each season for his trendy tactics and strategies.
The Team K League squad will select one player for 'KUPLYUNGPL' and 11 players for 'Fan Eleven' based on the candidates submitted by each club and through fan voting. Afterwards, manager Kim Pan-gon and coach Lee Jung-hyo will discuss with the League's technical committee to select the chosen players. Additional selections will consider position and distribution of players from each team. The candidates for 'KUPLYUNGPL' and 'Fan Eleven' along with the fan voting schedule will be disclosed later.
The first match of the '2025 Coupang Play Series' between Team K League and Newcastle United will take place on July 30 (Wed) at 8 p.m. at Suwon World Cup Stadium. Advance sales will start from June 25 (Wed), with general sales beginning from June 27 (Fri) through Coupang Play.
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