An emergency has struck professional soccer’s K League 1 Incheon United, which will play three competitions in the remainder of the 2023 season. Key defender Delbridge and midfielder Shin Shin-ho have been ruled out for the season due to injury.
Incheon announced the news of 스포츠토토 Delbridge and Shin Shin-ho’s injuries through the club’s official channels on Wednesday.
Incheon has been cruising this season. Last season, they qualified for the club’s first back-to-back Final A titles and earned early retention. They’ve long since forgotten their nickname as the “King of Staying Up” after being in the bottom half of the table each time and surviving to stay in the top flight at the end of the season.
Especially in the 2023 season, the club is not only doing well in the league but also in the FA Cup. They reached the quarterfinals and are set to face Jeonbuk Hyundai on March 1.
The club also qualified for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) for the first time. Incheon, who are playing in their first ACL this year following their success last season, have won back-to-back games to lead their group after two matches. On May 25, they will host Shandong Taishan (China) to try to make it three wins in a row.
However, Incheon received some bad news. Starting defender Delbridge and midfielder Shin Shin-ho will be unavailable for the remainder of the schedule. Delbridge is out for the season with a right femoral adductor tendon injury and Shin is out with a right ankle injury.
To make matters worse, midfielder Lee Myung-joo, who was injured in the 1-1 draw against Pohang Steelers in the 34th round on Nov. 20, will not be available immediately. He was diagnosed with a partial tear of the medial ligament in his left knee and will undergo rehabilitation.
An Incheon official shared the team’s mood with the news agency, saying, “It’s a tough situation with our main players out with injuries, but like Incheon, which has overcome crises as a one-man team, we are determined to do it step by step from the upcoming game against Shandong.”