Suwon Samsung’s Acosti won promotion last season, and this season he’s aiming to stay up. After playing in the promotion playoffs (PO) with FC Anyang last year, he will be trying to stay up this year in a Suwon jersey.
Suwon is in 12th place, the lowest position in the K League One Final Round B. Despite a 3-2 win over Suwon FC on Dec. 12 to close the gap to 11th-place Gangwon FC to one point, the team is still in danger of relegation. Acosti had a goal and an assist in the win over Suwon FC.
“It was a very good game,” Acosti said after the win over Suwon FC. Overall, the team struggled a lot, but today we showed a lot of mental strength, we showed a lot of fight, and I think that’s why we were able to get this result.”
Acosti, who played in the K League 2, joined Suwon earlier this year to play in the K League 1. When asked about the differences between K League 2 and K League 1, he said, “In the beginning of the year, it was really hard for me because of injuries, but now I’m trying to build up my body again and take care of myself so that I can stay healthy and finish well. I’ve been playing in the K League 1 for 10 months now, and I think the quality of players is better compared to the second division. The first division is more physical soccer. We have adapted well and will try to finish well.” 토토사이트
Acosti, who has scored an attacking point in two consecutive games to help Suwon stay in the competition, added: “It feels good whenever I score an attacking point. But I don’t think it’s a confidence booster. As I said, the beginning of the year was difficult for me because of injuries, but now I’m trying to manage them well and do my best to continue to be a big help to the team,” he promised.
While the stage is different from last season, Acosti is no stranger to this situation. Last year, he played for Anyang in a promotion battle with Suwon, and this time, he’s staying with Suwon. Going into the PO for the second year in a row, Acosti believes the team will need to be “confident. “The confidence of the team is the most important thing. And quality is important, but I think mental strength, the strong spirit we showed today, will be very important.”
Acting head coach Yeom Ki-hoon will play a big role in motivating the players. Suwon has had four different coaches this season – Lee Byung-geun, Choi Sung-yong, Choi Byung-soo and now Yi Ki-hoon – and Acosti said that Yi Ki-hoon has steadied the team and inspired confidence.