Oh yeah, I actually watched this soccer game last night. Korea beat Uzbekistan 2-1. I know NOTHING about this sport, but Koreans are pretty fanatical about thier team. Even in my ignorance of the game, I thought ROK played very poorly against an overmatched opponent. Which is why this account from The Lost Nomad was vindication for my opinion.
The game against Uzbekistan has to be one of the worst soccer games I’ve watched in a while. Yes, the Korean team pulled it out with a win in the second half, but if they want to do anything at all in the 2006 world cup, they have a long, long way to go.
The score should have been at least 10 to 0. The Uzbek team had zero skills – they couldn’t dribble, pass, shoot, defend, or mount anything that remotely looked like offense. The Koreans had ball control at least 75% of the game (I think it was a lot more) yet it took them till the 2nd half to score against a team that played like it was their first time out on the field.
That FIFA ranking isn’t undeserved or unfair, as I’ve heard some of the local soccer fans say and the boys in red better do some serious practicing or it’ll be a very short world cup indeed.
Anyway, I think seeing a soccer match in person is going on my list of things to do while I’m here. That and Korean baseball.
John: Since your offspring apparently didn’t introduce you to local (wherever you were at the time) soccer or insist that you take them to pro soccer, it’s beyond time to learn about it. (We got to see DC United when they played at WT Woodson HS in Fairfax — way before they became famous.) It’s very much a team sport and once you pick up on the rules (well, besides knowing which end of the field is “yours” — things like what’s “offsides” and when do you get a corner kick and so forth), you’ll enjoy it a lot. Says she who doesn’t normally like any spectator sports but even I can recognize and appreciate good playing. Sounds like a much better pasttime than beers in the bar. 🙄
in Europe cities are trashed because of soccer games.When a favored team loses entire countries suffer under fanatical soccer fans. Does not seem that Korean soccer is that emotional of a game over there.
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