Suwon Samsung Bluewings were once one of the richest football clubs in South Korea being supported by local tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. But after Cheil Worldwide Inc., Samsung Group's advertisement arm, took over the club in 2014, spending went down as the management went for efficiency.
Having a small budget means that Suwon face hurdles in bringing in high-profile footballers from outside and keeping star players on the squad. Despite finishing second in the country's top division K League Classic last year, Suwon this offseason saw regular players leaving. Goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong left for Japan's Kawasaki Frontale, and defender Oh Beom-seok joined Chinese club Hangzhou Greentown.
Foreign player signings also didn't go well for Suwon. After negotiation with former Schalke04 and Besiktas forward Edu fell through this winter, Suwon now have only two foreign players -- Santos and Hygor - even though the team can have up to four non-Korean players.
The answer for the slim squad depth was simple: use as many players as possible from the inside.
In their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League campaign on Wednesday against Japanese outfit Gamba Osaka, Suwon used six players from their youth academy. Including two players who didn't feature at the Asia premier club tournament, eight of the 18-man match roster were youth academy products.
Against Gamba, Suwon's two youth program graduates - Kwon Chang-hoon and Yeon Jei-min - were starting members as usual. Kim Gun-hee made his club debut as a lone striker and defender Min Sang-gi, who played only once for Suwon last season, also earned an opportunity to play full time.
Midfielders Kim Jong-woo and Eun Seong-soo, also from Suwon's youth academy, came on the pitch as second half substitutes.
With these players, Suwon fired 18 shots total, of which 10 were on the target, on Wednesday.
Though the two-time ACL champion in the end picked up a scoreless draw against Gamba at their Group G contest at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, they did hit the post twice, all from shots taken by their young pupils.
In the 41st minute, midfielder Kwon fired a shot in the box, but he hit the left post, while Kim Jong-woo, who was also making his club debut, had a chance to score in the final minute, but his middle-range shot nailed the crossbar.
Suwon head coach Seo Jung-won said that the club's young talent can bring a surprise this season. While the ACL has already begun, the domestic K League Classic starts next month.
"These young players displayed good performances during the winter training and they have played above my expectation," Seo said after the match against Gamba. "I think these players will generate a new atmosphere this season." (Yonhap)
