Many Koreans and Korean-Americans only just became fans of the beautiful game in 2002 when the FIFA World Cup was hosted in South Korea and Japan. That year, Koreans everywhere came out in rabid support of their countrymen thanks in large part to the team’s historic semi-final run. In 2006, the South Koreans again qualified for the World Cup in Germany where the team battled valiantly, but were unable to recapture the magic of four years earlier as they were bounced out in the group stage.

That brings us to the upcoming 2010 World Cup which will be hosted on the African sub-continent for the first time ever in South Africa. “The Reds”, as the team is affectionately known, are primed and ready to make a statement to the international soccer community. After breezing through their qualifying matches unscathed, the team is confident that they can not only compete, but advance in the 2010 tourney. The squad is lead by dynamic midfielder Park Ji-Sung, who won a Champions League title with Manchester United last season. Hopefully his time served in the Premiership will elevate the level of play of his teammates. But if teams key in on him, a second threat will need to emerge. My dark horse player to step up also has a badass name: Cha Du-Ri. I remember seeing the potential in him from the 2002 tournament even when he didn’t start. Unfortunately he was derailed by injuries in the 2006 affair. Could he reemerge as a force, particularly on set pieces?

In Group B the South Koreans will square-off against some formidable opponents in Argentina, Greece and Nigeria. While this group hasn’t been labeled a “group of death”, they do pose some interesting challenges. Most expect Argentina to dominate the field in group play, but even they have question marks. If they do live up to the top billing, the fight for the second spot will be tightly contested.
• Argentina is the heavy favorite as they come in with the most talent of the bunch. The headlining stars are Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez who possess mesmerizing skill and will definitely draw attention from defenders. But this Argentine team is different from years past because national hero Diego Maradona is now at the helm and he’s brought volatility and controversy with him. Ultimately if the team struggles as they did in their qualifying matches, they could open the door for one of the other teams in the group.
• Greece is making only their second World Cup appearance ever. But which Grecian squad will show up? The team that was dreadful in ’94? Or the team that caught lightning in a bottle to win Euro 2004?
• Nigeria will undoubtedly be emboldened by having the Cup played on their (relative) home soil. They can also draw on their previous experience against Argentina in 2002. Although they rank third among the African squads, they could be poised to make a – dare I say – South Korean-like run.

The success of the team in 2002 not only drew fans to the soccer pitch, but also national attention and support. You can see the development of soccer in Korea by the improved quality of the K-league as well as the number of Korean footballers now playing on top European clubs. This impact also seems to have rippled through to the other national teams as evidenced by the medal count at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, in particular the gold medal finish of the Korean baseball team.

As long as South Korea brings their trademark toughness, grit and heart they should be able to compete with anyone in their group and earn a spot in the round of 16. And no matter the outcome, I look forward to this summer where I’ll go to my local K-town and have the chance to root on this team with my fellow “Red Devils” (moniker for supporters of “the Reds”).

- Article By: Juncakes

Friday was the announcement of the drawings for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.  South Korea is in Group B and they will play against perennial powerhouse Argentina, Nigeria and past Euro champs Greece.  However, does the South Korean soccer team really matter to Korean-Americans?  Who would they root for: the U.S. or South Korea?  We know they’re not rooting for North Korea, who happened to make the World Cup as well.  This is an opinion and there is no empirical evidence of this, but I would suggest that the Korean-Americans who end up watching the World Cup games will have a stronger interest in the performance of the South Korean team than the U.S. team.  Though anecdotal, I take you back to 2002 when South Korea progressed to the semi-finals, its greatest performance ever in a World Cup.  It not only captivated the Korean peninsula with masses of South Koreans watching games on massive TVs in public venues, but you could also see the excitement and support here in the U.S.  Our parents were talking to us about it and not about school or marriage.  They would share how proud they were of the South Korean team doing so well.  Many of us are immigrants to the U.S. and the World Cup created a tangible connection to our Korean heritage.  I personally remember staying up till the wee hours of the morning to watch the games at a Korean restaurant in Ktown New York.  When the South Korean team won a game, West 32nd street would get flooded with people (at 5AM!) cheering.  That was a cool scene and a moment to remember.   In almost six months, the most popular game on earth will stage its biggest event and I hope you all can root for both South Korea and the U.S.  I paraphrase a famed Korean senator by saying that South Korea is our mother and America is our father.  We can have our cake and enjoy it to so have fun rooting for both South Korea and the U.S. when the World Cup arrives in June.