A soccer feast is about to unfold as 64-year-old Choi Kang-hee will face the challenge of 45-year-old Cowell. The Yokohama Mariners will then welcome Shandong Taishan for an AFC Champions League quarter-final clash.
Cowell, the Australian soccer legend, played for Liverpool, Leeds United and other notable teams during his playing days. He not only won the 2004-05 season, but also collected honors such as the 2005-06 UEFA Super Cup, the English FA Cup, the 2006-07 Championship, and was runner-up at the 2011 Asian Cup. He also represented the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
After retiring from football, Cowell transitioned into coaching and coached English lower league teams such as Watford U23.In June 2022, he became an assistant coach at Celtic, and on December 31, 2023, he officially took over as head coach of Yokohama Marinos. In the first round of the AFC Champions League 1/8, Yokohama Mariners drew 2-2 with Bangkok United.
Choi Kang-hee, a renowned coach in Asian soccer, was honored as the AFC Coach of the Year after leading Jeonbuk Hyundai to the 2006 AFC Champions League title during his tenure at the club. He then helped Jeonbuk win back-to-back K-League titles in 2009 and 2011.In 2016, Choi was once again voted AFC Coach of the Year. In addition to Jeonbuk, he has coached a number of teams including Suwon Samsung, the Korean national team, Tianjin, Dalian, and Shenhua.
On May 16 last year, Cui Kangxi officially took over the coaching whip of Shandong Taishan. At that time, Taishan was ranked ninth in the Chinese Super League, with only one win, four draws and two losses in the first seven rounds, accumulating seven points.
After Choi Kang-hee's appointment, Taishan achieved 14 wins, 6 draws and 2 losses in the league, accumulating 48 points, and eventually finishing second in the league, only 5 points behind Shanghai Seaport. In the F.A.C.A. Cup, Taishan went all the way through the competition and finally beat Shanghai Shenhua 0-1 in the final. In the AFC Champions League, Taishan won 4 and lost 2 in the group stage, and then beat Kawasaki Frontale 6-5 in two rounds in the 1/8 final to advance to the quarter-finals.
The first round of the AFC Champions League Quarter-Finals will be played on March 6th, with the second round matches to be played on March 13th.
