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.

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