Transfers of Taiwan’s star players and new foreign signings have bolstered the lineups at several powerhouse clubs ahead of tomorrow’s start of the Taiwan Football Premier League (TFPL) season, although TSG (Taiwan Steel Group) remain the favorites to retain the title.
Eight teams, including the return of the promoted Taipei Deva Dragons (formerly the Taipei Flight Skywalkers), are playing four matches tomorrow with Hua Nan Bank as the league’s main sponsor.
Defending champions TSG face Hang Yuan in Tainan, Taichung Futuro take on Taipei Leopard Cat in Kaohsiung and Taipower are to face Taipei Deva Dragons in New Taipei City all at 4pm.
Photo courtesy of the CTFA
The other contest sees Ming Chuan University do battle with AC Taipei in Taoyuan at 6pm.
The most surprising development ahead of the season has been managerial changes, with Henry Von of Taichung Futuro and Chen Kuei-jen of Taipower quitting at the end of last season.
Both had previously led their respective clubs to titles and both are also former Taiwan national squad managers.
Von had led Futuro to the top of the table last year, but they faltered in the final two matches and allowed TSG to seize the title, while Chen headed an all-Taiwanese Taipower squad that finished in third place.
“We came close to winning the title last year... It was my decision to leave, with plans to take coaching certification courses in Europe to learn new concepts and the application of the latest technologies,” Von said.
It was also the end of the “Chen Era” at Taipower, with Chen having been in charge for close to two decades before he announced he was quitting late last year.
“I shall take responsibility for the unsatisfactory results, for the third-placed finish,” he said.
Both teams have promoted from within, with Futuro naming veteran player Chuang Ming-yen as their new manager, while Taipower have installed former player Huang Tse-ming.
Meanwhile, Japanese coach Toshiaki Imai returns to Taiwan after being named manager of Taipei Deva Dragons.
He had previously been in charge of the men’s and women’s national squads, and also had a brief spell at Futuro in 2020.
Futuro have also signed two Japanese players — Kaoru Takayama and Kenya Matsui, who both have experience in the J1 and J2 leagues in Japan — but they have lost goalkeeper Pan Wen-chieh and star midfielder Wu Chun-ching, who elected to return to their previous club TSG.
TSG manager Lo Chih-tsung is still at the helm, as he and his team aim to win the title for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season.
Hang Yuan manager Hong Ching-huai said that his team could challenge as he has a solid squad with the “Korean Oppa” Joo Ik-seong, the “Taiwanese Rooney” Wu Yen-shu and Japanese forward Shunya Ando up front, as well as stout defenders in Haiti’s Judelin Aveska and William Lopez of El Salvador.
Hong has also signed Gerardo Rabre of Honduras from Taipei Leopard Cat and forward Usman Diarra of Indonesia.
Taiwan’s women’s soccer league commences its season the following weekend, with six teams in action next Saturday.
Hualien City start the defense of their title against Taichung Blue Whale.
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