# 2014 K League Challenge

The 2014 K League Challenge was the second season of the K League 2, the second-highest division in the South Korean football league system. Since the 2014 season, the champions was promoted to the K League Classic and three teams from second to fourth-placed team qualified for the promotion playoffs after the regular season.

## Teams
### Team changes

Relegated from K League Classic
* Daegu FC
* Daejeon Citizen
* Gangwon FC
Promoted to K League Classic
* Sangju Sangmu

### Stadiums

| Ansan Police | FC Anyang | Bucheon FC 1995 |
| Ansan Wa~ Stadium | Anyang Stadium | Bucheon Stadium |
| Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 17,143 | Capacity: 34,545 |
| Chungju Hummel | Daegu FC | Daejeon Citizen |
| Chungju Stadium | Daegu Stadium | Daejeon World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity: 15,000 | Capacity: 68,014 | Capacity: 42,176 |
| Gangwon FC | Goyang Hi FC | Gwangju FC |
| Gangneung Stadium | Goyang Stadium | Gwangju World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity: 22,333 | Capacity: 41,311 | Capacity: 44,118 |
| Suwon FC | | |
| Suwon Stadium | | |
| Capacity: 24,670 | | |

### Personnel and sponsoring

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Managers | Kit manufacturer | Main sponsor |
| Ansan Police | Cho Dong-hyun | Zaicro | |
| FC Anyang | Lee Woo-hyung | Zaicro | KB Kookmin Bank |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | Choi Jin-han | Ninety Plus | Bucheon Government |
| Chungju Hummel | Kim Jong-pil | Hummel | Chungju Government |
| Daegu FC | Choi Duck-joo | Hummel | |
| Daejeon Citizen | Cho Jin-ho | Kelme | |
| Gangwon FC | Arthur Bernardes Park Hyo-jin (caretaker) | Hummel | |
| Goyang Hi FC | Lee Young-moo Lee Sung-kil (caretaker) | New Balance | |
| Gwangju FC | Nam Ki-il | Joma | Gwangju Bank |
| Suwon FC | Cho Duck-je | Hummel | Suwon Government |

### Foreign players

Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field each game.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Asian Player | Former Players |
| FC Anyang | Wagner Querino | Felipe Adão | | | |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | Rodrigo Paraná | | | | |
| Chungju Hummel | Raphael | Kalel | Ciprian Vasilache | | |
| Daegu FC | Johnathan | Matheus | Néverton | | Sandro |
| Daejeon Citizen | Adriano Michael Jackson | Maranhão | Vanderlei | | Diogo Rangel |
| Gangwon FC | Almir | Joélson | Wesley Alex | Diogo Rangel | Ciprian Vasilache |
| Goyang Hi FC | Maycon | Roniere | | | Wesley Alex |
| Gwangju FC | Diego Silva | Fábio Neves | Romarinho | | |
| Suwon FC | Japa | Vladan Adžić | | | |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Daejeon Citizen (C, P) | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 64 | 36 | +28 | 70 | Promotion to the K League Classic |
| 2 | Ansan Police | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 58 | 48 | +10 | 59 | Qualification for the promotion playoffs semi-final |
| 3 | Gangwon FC | 36 | 16 | 6 | 14 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 54 | Qualification for the promotion playoffs first round |
| 4 | Gwangju FC (O, P) | 36 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 40 | 35 | +5 | 51 | Qualification for the promotion playoffs first round |
| 5 | FC Anyang | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 52 | −3 | 51 | |
| 6 | Suwon FC | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 52 | 49 | +3 | 48 | |
| 7 | Daegu FC | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 50 | 47 | +3 | 47 | |
| 8 | Goyang Hi FC | 36 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 36 | 41 | −5 | 47 | |
| 9 | Chungju Hummel | 36 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 34 | |
| 10 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 36 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 33 | 52 | −19 | 27 | |

## Positions by matchday

Leaders  Qualification for the promotion playoffs

### Round 1–18

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Daejeon Citizen | 9 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Daegu FC | 4 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| FC Anyang | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Gangwon FC | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Goyang Hi FC | 5 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Ansan Police | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Suwon FC | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Gwangju FC | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| Chungju Hummel | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |

### Round 19–36

| Team ╲ Round | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Daejeon Citizen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Ansan Police | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Gangwon FC | 7 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Gwangju FC | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| FC Anyang | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Suwon FC | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Daegu FC | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Goyang Hi FC | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Chungju Hummel | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |

## Results
### Matches 1–18

| Home \ Away | ASM | ANY | BUC | CJH | DGU | DJC | GWN | GHI | GWJ | SUW |
| Ansan Police | — | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 6–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–3 |
| FC Anyang | 2–0 | — | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | 3–4 | 0–1 | — | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| Chungju Hummel | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Daegu FC | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Daejeon Citizen | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–2 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Gangwon FC | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Goyang Hi FC | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | — | 2–4 | 1–0 |
| Gwangju FC | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 |
| Suwon FC | 0–3 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — |

### Matches 19–36

| Home \ Away | ASM | ANY | BUC | CJH | DGU | DJC | GWN | GHI | GWJ | SUW |
| Ansan Police | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 |
| FC Anyang | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
| Bucheon FC 1995 | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
| Chungju Hummel | 2–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Daegu FC | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 6–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Daejeon Citizen | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 5–2 |
| Gangwon FC | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 2–4 | 2–1 |
| Goyang Hi FC | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Gwangju FC | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 |
| Suwon FC | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — |

## Promotion playoffs
### Bracket

| First round | First round | First round | Semi-final | Semi-final | Semi-final | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| | | | 2 | Ansan Police | 0 | | | | | |
| | | | | Gwangju FC | 3 | | | | | |
| 3 | Gangwon FC | 0 | | Gwangju FC | 3 | | | | | |
| 4 | Gwangju FC | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Gwangju FC | 1 | | | | Gwangju FC | Gwangju FC | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| | | | | | | Gyeongnam FC | Gyeongnam FC | 1 | 1 | 2 |

### Final

The promotion-relegation playoffs were held between the winners of the 2014 K League Challenge playoffs and the 11th-placed club of the 2014 K League Classic. The winners on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2015 K League Classic.
Gwangju FC won 4–2 on aggregate and were promoted to the K League Classic, while Gyeongnam FC were relegated to the K League Challenge.

## Player statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Adriano Michael Jackson | Daejeon Citizen | 27 |
| 2 | Wesley Alex | Gangwon FC | 16 |
| 3 | Johnathan | Daegu FC | 14 |
| 4 | Choi Jin-ho | Gangwon FC | 13 |
| 5 | Rodrigo Paraná | Bucheon FC 1995 | 11 |
| 5 | Ko Kyung-min | Ansan Police | 11 |
| 7 | Fábio Neves | Gwangju FC | 8 |
| 7 | Kim Chan-hee | Daejeon Citizen | 8 |
| 7 | Jung Min-woo | Suwon FC | 8 |
| 7 | Park Sung-jin | FC Anyang | 8 |
| 7 | Kim Han-won | Suwon FC | 8 |

### Top assist providers

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Choi Jin-ho | Gangwon FC | 9 |
| 1 | Kwon Yong-hyun | Suwon FC | 9 |
| 3 | Choi Jin-soo | FC Anyang | 8 |
| 4 | Kim Seo-jun | Suwon FC | 6 |
| 4 | Park Sung-jin | FC Anyang | 6 |
| 6 | Choi Kwang-hee | Ansan Police | 5 |
| 6 | Lee Jong-min | Gwangju FC | 5 |
| 6 | Kim Chan-hee | Daejeon Citizen | 5 |
| 6 | Seo Myeong-won | Daejeon Citizen | 5 |
| 6 | Yoo Joon-young | Bucheon FC 1995 | 5 |
| 6 | Lee Woo-hyeok | Gangwon FC | 5 |
| 6 | Song Ju-han | Daejeon Citizen | 5 |

## Attendance

Attendants who entered with free ticket are not counted.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Daejeon Citizen | 57,583 | 5,834 | 772 | 3,197 | −46.6%$^†$ |
| 2 | FC Anyang | 28,298 | 6,279 | 415 | 1,572 | −13.4%$^†$ |
| 3 | Gwangju FC | 24,200 | 4,846 | 615 | 1,344 | −42.6%$^†$ |
| 4 | Bucheon FC 1995 | 19,374 | 5,562 | 305 | 1,076 | −37.3%$^†$ |
| 5 | Gangwon FC | 18,144 | 3,556 | 217 | 1,008 | −67.9%$^†$ |
| 6 | Suwon FC | 17,823 | 3,450 | 405 | 990 | +5.4%$^†$ |
| 7 | Daegu FC | 17,383 | 3,605 | 472 | 966 | −86.7%$^†$ |
| 8 | Chungju Hummel | 13,938 | 1,647 | 317 | 774 | −53.5%$^†$ |
| 9 | Ansan Police | 10,761 | 3,568 | 217 | 598 | −43.4%$^†$ |
| 10 | Goyang Hi FC | 10,508 | 1,842 | 252 | 584 | −20.9%$^†$ |
| | League total | 217,967 | 6,279 | 217 | 1,211 | −28.1%$^†$ |
Source: K League Notes: $^†$ Team played previous season in K League Classic.

## Awards

The 2014 K League Awards was held on 1 December 2014.

### Main awards

* Most Valuable Player: Adriano Michael Jackson (Daejeon Citizen)
* Top goalscorer: Adriano Michael Jackson (Daejeon Citizen)
* Top assist provider: Choi Jin-ho (Gangwon FC)
* Manager of the Year: Cho Jin-ho (Daejeon Citizen)

### Best XI

| Position | Player | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Park Ju-won | Daejeon Citizen |
| Defenders | Lee Jae-kwon | Ansan Police |
| Defenders | Heo Jae-won | Daegu FC |
| Defenders | Yoon Won-il | Daejeon Citizen |
| Defenders | Rim Chang-woo | Daejeon Citizen |
| Midfielders | Kim Ho-nam | Gwangju FC |
| Midfielders | Choi Jin-ho | Gangwon FC |
| Midfielders | Lee Yong-rae | Ansan Police |
| Midfielders | Choi Jin-soo | FC Anyang |
| Forwards | Wesley Alex | Gangwon FC |
| Forwards | Adriano Michael Jackson | Daejeon Citizen |