▲ Photo courtesy Jeju United Football Club

A crowd of 16,588 at the Seogwipo World Cup Stadium wasn’t enough to stop Jeju United dropping their season opener 1-0 to the Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Sunday. A late second-half goal gave Suwon the three points and ensured United’s season got off to a slow start.

There were a lot of new things to get used to for United fans: The absence of the team’s in-game song leader and stage act, a volleyball-like game ball and appearances from eight of 18 new United signings. The result, however, was all too familiar.

Park Kyung-Hoon will be disappointed his side didn’t at least take away a point from a tight game that was decided by a neat 70th minute Cho Dong-Geon finish. A strong showing from some new recruits and a late rally weren’t enough and the Orange start the season with defeat.

The new players included attackers Kim Hyun, Joco Stokić, and Hwang Il-Soo. New in midfield were Juan Vélez, Hugo Droguett, Jung Da-Hwon, and Kim Young-Shin. Defender Kim Su-Beom and goalkeeper Kim Ho-Jun also made their debuts at the back. Even former United fan-favorite Santos Jr. made an appearance, albeit kitted out for Suwon.

Newcomer Droguett generated three good opportunities in the first 30 minutes, and provided Jeju’s threat for most of the match. His best opportunities came when Yoon Bit-Garam headed to him in front of goal, and when he was sent clear after a Kim Hyun through ball. Droguett was unable to finish on either instance, however.

United had their bolstered midfield to thank for the chances, which was thwarting Suwon’s attacks and allowing Jeju’s attackers to enjoy much of the ball. Midfielder Vélez was particularly impressive on his debut, making a number of smart plays and breaking up many Suwon attacks.

As the game moved into the second half, Suwon finally broke the ice on a cold early spring afternoon. Despite heavy pressure, and just a minute after being booked, Suwon attacker Cho Dong-Geon was able to get his boot on the ball and chip it over keeper Ho-Jun Kim’s outstretched arm in the 70th minute.

Jeju pushed for an equalizer and forced Suwon keeper Jung Sung-Ryong into numerous saves. Just two minutes after the goal, Kim Hyun dribbled through but Jung saved well from close range. 82nd-minute substitute and debutant Joco Stokić forced Suwon’s keeper into more impressive saves, while also shooting wide by inches. In the end, none of it was enough.

Despite hopes for the new season, United now hasn’t won a game in nearly five months since the last victory on Nov. 10, 2013. Jeju will hope to change that on March 16, when they travel to Gwangyang to face the Jeonnam Dragons. The Orange then return home to Seogwipo World Cup Stadium on March 22 to face Seongnam.

Dave Cunning is a freelance writer from Kelowna, BC, Canada. Read his blog http://davecunning.wordpress.com, listen to his podcast http://xppsp.podbean.com and follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/davecunning