“I’m angry. I am absolutely not satisfied with our current ranking.”
Mpoku scored the opening goal in Incheon’s 3-0 home win over Gyeongnam FC in the fourth round (round of 16) of the 2023 Hana OneQ FA Cup at the Incheon Football Stadium on April 24.
Mpoku, who made his first start in 54 days, responded with a goal. In the 24th minute, he collected a second ball from the opposing goalkeeper and finished a low cross into the box with his right foot. It was his second goal of the season and first in the FA Cup. Mpoku was delighted with his first taste of goal since returning from injury.메이저사이트
“I came here to play games like this, but I also want to play a role in helping the team to get to a higher position, and I’m happy that I was able to do that today,” he said in the post-match mix zone.
Mpoku was injured in a practice game during the season. He was sidelined since March 9 and made his comeback as a substitute against Gwangju FC on March 20. It was his first start since April 1 against Daegu FC. Before the game, Incheon head coach Cho Sung-hwan said, “He has improved a lot since his injury. He will be in a position where he can play well, and I think he will be able to contribute to the team by utilizing his strengths, especially his dribbling,” and he did.
“I wouldn’t say I was struggling, I was just finding it hard to accept the situation,” Mpoku said. “It’s the first time I’ve been through it, and with the environment and background I’ve grown up in, it takes time to learn and take in new things. The injury was also surreal,” he recalls.
Incheon had been coming up empty. With one goal in their last four games before the FA Cup and 12 goals in 14 league games, they were 11th in the league in scoring. Despite having one of the best midfields and strikers in the league, they were struggling to find the back of the net.
“I watched the team and I was frustrated with the lack of creativity and frustration,” says Mpoku. Now that I’ve recovered well, I want to show a little more of what I came here to do and why I’m here,” said Mpoku. “I think all of our struggles are in the past. I think we need to look forward to the future,” he emphasized.
Incheon is ranked 10th in the league with 14 points. Only Gangwon FC (11 points) and Suwon Samsung (8 points) are below them. The team was touted as a “top five” team before the season started, but has faltered somewhat.
“Of course, I’m not happy with where we are,” Mpoku said. “My recent career has been in teams that dominate games and want to achieve something. I came here because I think this is the same team. There are a lot of changes, and we have players and a team that are good enough to be at the top. If we work harder and put our minds together, we can get to a higher ranking.”
Mpoku is eager to help the team move up. “I think entertaining the fans and making them happy is why I play soccer. I want to give them what they want on the pitch, an aggressive look, skills and plays that they enjoy, and hopefully that translates into goals and assists.”