"I'm excited to see how far Incheon United can go."
Veteran center back Oh Ban-seok of professional soccer's Incheon United is excited about his third "Asian stage" at the age of thirty-five.
Incheon will host Hai Phong FC (Vietnam) in the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) playoffs at the Incheon Football Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 22.
This is the first Asian stage for Incheon, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Victory in this match will secure the club's coveted spot in the ACL, where they will be drawn against Asian giants in the group stage.
It's a special opportunity for Oh Ban-seok, too.
He played in the ACL in 2017 and 2018 with Jeju United, but hasn't played in an ACL game since.
After playing for Muangthong United (Thailand) and Jeonbuk Hyundai, Obansuk joined Incheon on loan in 2020, and he felt the eager anticipation of Incheon fans for the ACL.
At a press conference held on the 21st, Obansuk said, "When I came to Incheon, I realized that many fans wanted this stage. I've been looking forward to Incheon's entry into the ACL as well," he said.
"It's right to imagine it after the playoffs, but I have a pleasant imagination of how far Incheon will go," he said.
Vietnamese team Hai Phong is considered a step below Incheon.
However, Obansuk believes that the recent growth of Southeast Asian soccer should not be taken lightly.
"I've played in the Thai league myself. I know that Southeast Asian teams are not easy, and I passed that on to the juniors," he said.
"The juniors will be able to experience more through the international stage of the ACL, which is different from the K League," he said. "I keep emphasizing to the juniors that the ACL is an international competition, so they should approach it with a slightly different attitude." 스포츠토토