With the Pohang Steelers, the winner of last year's Korea Cup, struggling in the early stages, the role of main catcher Lee Ho-jae has become heavy.
Pohang has no win with one draw and two losses among three matches of Hana Bank's K League 1 in 2025. It remains at the bottom of the list with Suwon FC (one draw and two losses). It has one draw and four losses when including the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) games that it played this year. Concerns are growing as the team is mired in sluggish performance in mid-to-late last season.
It is fortunate that the team broke the losing streak by drawing with Daegu FC on the 1st. Daegu was the best team with two consecutive wins before facing Pohang.
On top of that, Pohang has earned time to reorganize itself. The away game of the fourth round of the K League 1 against Gwangju FC, which was scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to Tuesday due to Gwangju FC's ACLE game schedule. The next match, the match against Jeonbuk Hyundai on Wednesday, has about two weeks left. Thorough preparations are needed to rebound.
Despite Pohang's sluggish performance, frontline striker Lee Ho-jae stood out. He scored goals in succession in matches against ACLE Johor Darlle Takjim (Malaysia) and Gangwon FC. Notably, he showed off his good condition by scoring the first goal in both matches. He is spearheading a new leap forward in Pohang.
In fact, Lee did not play the pre-season in perfect physical condition. He was out for the season after being sidelined by an injury in August, when he was showing off his best skills. Lee joined the team training from separate individual training sessions early in the winter.
Lee Ho-jae displayed impressive capability in producing attack points right before his injury. He had nine goals and five assists in 27 matches in the league, scoring one attack point per two matches. If the scope is expanded through official matches, he has 12 goals and five assists in 37 matches.
Recalling the time, Lee Ho-jae said, "It was an injury that I could get better if I rested for a week or two, but I wanted to contribute to the team," adding, "As a result, I left a regret for both the individual and the team." He added, "I felt sorry for myself, but next time, I will try to take care of my body wisely based on my experience."
In fact, Lee had no choice but to be greedy. He was competing to become the top scorer, and there was a high possibility that he would be selected as the A team. "Since there were talks about the best player in the league and the selection of the national team, I didn't want to miss that trend," Lee Ho-jae said.
Ahead of this season, Lee Ho-jae changed his jersey number from 33 to 19. "I thought he did a good job wearing the number 33, but he gives me a change after I get hurt," Lee said. "Now I feel like the number 33 has done its best, so I changed my jersey number."
It was also influenced by Zeka (Shandong Taishan) who played together in Pohang. Zeka wore No. 19 in Daegu and Shandong, and Lee Ho-jae learned a lot from Zeka's play. "I thought a lot about taking after Zeka and expressed my will to play No. 10 and No. 9 roles," Lee said. "Zeka contacted me and asked me to send her my No. 19 uniform." 먹튀검증
Lee Ho-jae promised to rebound, saying, "I think the national team can also go if the league scored double-digit points last year and the competition for the top scorer goes beyond that."