The 2016 K League Challenge was the fourth season of the K League 2, the second-highest division in the South Korean football league system. Originally, K League Challenge champions could be promoted to the K League Classic, but Ansan Mugunghwa lost its qualification for the promotion after Ansan Government decided to break up with police football team from next year.[1] Runners-up Daegu FC directly qualified for the Classic instead of champions Ansan Mugunghwa, and third, fourth and fifth-placed team advanced to the promotion playoffs.
 | |
| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ansan Mugunghwa (1st title) |
| Promoted | Daegu FC Gangwon FC |
| Matches played | 220 |
| Goals scored | 528 (2.4 per match) |
| Best Player | Kim Dong-chan |
| Top goalscorer | Kim Dong-chan (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Gyeongnam 7–0 Goyang (7 September 2016) Chungju 8–1 Ansan (15 October 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Chungju 0–4 Busan (10 July 2016) Goyang 0–4 Ansan (25 September 2016) Ansan 0–4 Gangwon (22 October 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Chungju 8–1 Ansan (15 October 2016) |
| Highest attendance | 23,015 Daegu 0–0 Gyeongnam (10 April 2016) |
| Lowest attendance | 124 Goyang 2–3 Gyeongnam (16 October 2016) |
| Average attendance | 1,506 |
← 2015 2017 → | |
Teams edit
Team changes edit
Relegated from K League Classic
Promoted to K League Classic
Stadiums edit
| Ansan Mugunghwa | FC Anyang | Bucheon FC 1995 |
|---|---|---|
| Ansan Wa~ Stadium | Anyang Stadium | Bucheon Stadium |
| Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 17,143 | Capacity: 34,545 |
|
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| Busan IPark | Chungju Hummel | Daegu FC |
| Busan Asiad Main Stadium | Chungju Stadium | Daegu Stadium |
| Capacity: 53,864 | Capacity: 15,000 | Capacity: 68,014 |
|
| |
| Daejeon Citizen | Gangwon FC | Goyang Zaicro |
| Daejeon World Cup Stadium | Gangneung Stadium | Goyang Stadium |
| Capacity: 40,535 | Capacity: 22,333 | Capacity: 41,311 |
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|
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| Gyeongnam FC | Seoul E-Land | |
| Changwon Football Center | Seoul Olympic Stadium | |
| Capacity: 15,500 | Capacity: 69,950 | |
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Personnel and sponsoring edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Foreign players edit
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field each game.
- ^ Éder Lima owned Palestinian citizenship and was counted as an Asian player in the K League.
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ansan Mugunghwa[a] (C) | 40 | 21 | 7 | 12 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 70 | |
| 2 | Daegu FC (P) | 40 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 53 | 36 | +17 | 70 | Promotion to the K League Classic |
| 3 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 40 | 19 | 10 | 11 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 67 | Qualification for the promotion playoffs semi-final |
| 4 | Gangwon FC (O, P) | 40 | 19 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 33 | +17 | 66 | Qualification for the promotion playoffs first round |
| 5 | Busan IPark | 40 | 19 | 7 | 14 | 52 | 39 | +13 | 64 | |
| 6 | Seoul E-Land | 40 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 64 | |
| 7 | Daejeon Citizen | 40 | 15 | 10 | 15 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 55 | |
| 8 | Gyeongnam FC[b] | 40 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 61 | 58 | +3 | 50 | |
| 9 | FC Anyang | 40 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 46 | |
| 10 | Chungju Hummel | 40 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 42 | 62 | −20 | 29 | |
| 11 | Goyang Zaicro | 40 | 2 | 10 | 28 | 21 | 72 | −51 | 16 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Wins; 5) Head-to-head points.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Notes:
- ^ Ansan Mugunghwa lost its qualification for the promotion after Ansan Government decided to break up with Korean Police Agency.
- ^ Gyeongnam FC were deducted 10 points due to bribery scandal.
Positions by matchday edit
Leaders
Qualification for the promotion playoffs
Round 1–22 edit
Round 23–44 edit
Results edit
Matches 1–20 edit
Matches 21–40 edit
Promotion playoffs edit
Bracket edit
| First round | Semi-final | Final | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Gangwon FC | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Gangwon FC | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Busan IPark | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Gangwon FC (a) | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Seongnam FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
First round edit
| Gangwon FC | 1–0 | Busan IPark |
|---|---|---|
Matheus  89' |
Report |
Semi-final edit
| Bucheon FC 1995 | 1–2 | Gangwon FC |
|---|---|---|
| Han Hee-hoon 50' |
Report |
|
Final edit
The promotion-relegation playoffs were held between the winners of the 2016 K League Challenge playoffs and the 11th-placed club of the 2016 K League Classic. The winner on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2017 K League Classic.
| Seongnam FC | 1–1 | Gangwon FC |
|---|---|---|
| Hwang Jin-sung 77' |
Han Seok-jong 42' |
1–1 on aggregate. Gangwon FC won on away goals and were promoted to the K League Classic, while Seongnam FC were relegated to the K League Challenge.
Player statistics edit
Top scorers edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kim Dong-chan
|
Daejeon Citizen | 20 |
| 2 |  Cristian Dănălache
|
Gyeongnam FC | 19 |
| 3 |  Willian Popp
|
Busan IPark | 18 |
| 4 | Paulo Sérgio
|
Daegu FC | 17 |
| 5 | Lukian
|
Bucheon FC 1995 | 15 |
| 6 | Joo Min-kyu
|
Seoul E-Land | 14 |
| 7 | Kim Shin
|
Chungju Hummel | 13 |
| 8 | Tarabai
|
Seoul E-Land | 12 |
| 9 | Matheus Alves
|
Gangwon FC | 11 |
| Cesinha
|
Daegu FC | ||
| Kim Min-kyun
|
FC Anyang |
Top assist providers edit
Attendance edit
Attendants who entered with free ticket were not counted.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daegu FC | 54,246 | 23,015 | 369 | 2,712 | −10.4% |
| 2 | Daejeon Citizen | 50,797 | 18,082 | 955 | 2,540 | −23.9%† |
| 3 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 41,619 | 10,982 | 713 | 2,081 | +22.6% |
| 4 | FC Anyang | 36,530 | 9,145 | 521 | 1,827 | +7.5% |
| 5 | Busan IPark | 30,670 | 6,075 | 508 | 1,534 | −38.5%† |
| 6 | Seoul E-Land | 26,218 | 3,060 | 508 | 1,311 | −28.2% |
| 7 | Gyeongnam FC | 24,003 | 4,610 | 307 | 1,200 | −36.6% |
| 8 | Gangwon FC | 21,328 | 3,042 | 518 | 1,066 | −21.4% |
| 9 | Ansan Mugunghwa | 20,093 | 4,072 | 202 | 1,005 | −39.6% |
| 10 | Chungju Hummel | 18,871 | 3,118 | 388 | 944 | −23.1% |
| 11 | Goyang Zaicro | 7,054 | 897 | 124 | 353 | −48.7% |
| League total | 331,429 | 23,015 | 124 | 1,506 | −6.2% |
Source: K League
Notes:
† Team played previous season in K League Classic.
Awards edit
Main awards edit
The 2016 K League Awards was held on 8 November 2016.[2]
- Most Valuable Player:
Kim Dong-chan (Daejeon Citizen) - Top goalscorer: Kim Dong-chan (Daejeon Citizen)
- Top assist provider: Lee Ho-seok (Gyeongnam FC)
- Manager of the Year: Son Hyun-jun (Daegu FC)
Best XI edit
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jo Hyeon-woo
|
Daegu FC |
| Defenders | Jeong Woo-jae
|
Daegu FC |
| Hwang Jae-won
|
Daegu FC | |
| Lee Han-saem
|
Gangwon FC | |
| Jung Seung-yong
|
Gangwon FC | |
| Midfielders | Waguininho
|
Bucheon FC 1995 |
| Lee Hyun-seung
|
Ansan Mugunghwa | |
| Hwang In-beom
|
Daejeon Citizen | |
| Cesinha
|
Daegu FC | |
| Forwards | Kim Dong-chan
|
Daejeon Citizen |
| Willian Popp
|
Busan IPark |
Player of the Round edit
Manager of the Month edit
| Month | Manager | Club | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | Choi Yong-soo
|
FC Seoul | K League Classic |
| May | Nam Ki-il
|
Gwangju FC | K League Classic |
| June | Lee Heung-sil
|
Ansan Mugunghwa | K League Challenge |
| July | Choi Kang-hee
|
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | K League Classic |
| August | Choi Young-jun
|
Busan IPark | K League Challenge |
| September | Choi Yun-kyum
|
Gangwon FC | K League Challenge |
| October | Hwang Sun-hong
|
FC Seoul | K League Classic |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ 안산 ‘무궁화’와 결별 추진…‘1부리그 승격’은 누가 하나 (in Korean). Kyunghyang. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ 패트리엇, 별을 쏘다 (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 8 November 2016.
External links edit
- Official website (in Korean)
- Review at K League (in Korean)