I jinxed CONCACAF, but we are through to the second round.
We got tickets to the Brazil v Costa Rica game, but at high price. The only tickets left were the pricey Category 1, the best seats available. Thanks to MasterCard, we witnessed a game filled with attack, defending a second thought. Quite a few scoring opportunities went unfinished for both teams, but Brazil put away 5 to Costa Rica's two.
Yesterday was the big day for the US. The day we were to climb the final rung into respectability in the soccer world. Beat a broken Poland team, win the group and go into the second round on a high. Good thing Korea beat Portugal, or we would be headed home. Two goals in the first few minutes allowed Poland to sit back and pack the box. The stadium went crazy and, thanks to Korea's advanced telecommunications, everybody knew the Koreans had scored. All we needed was a tie or win by the Koreans and our debacle didn't matter.
I can't find an English paper, but a college friend of mine said he was on the streets partying until 5:00 this morning. The Koreans would surround cars, bounce them around a bit and then let them go on their way. At one point, the crowd got crazy and knocked the light off the top of a cop car. They went quite while they attending to replacing the light to cheers from the crowd.
We are in the train station in Daejeon awaiting our train to the airport in Incheon. It seems amazing that the two weeks are over, as it seems we just landed ignorant of customs and culture. Now we are about to depart, five games and fourteen days later, just barely less ignorant.
We hope that you have enjoyed these posts, and more importantly, enjoyed the tournament this far. It is the oddest tournament in history in terms of who got through and who didn't. With 4 of the top 5 teams eliminated, it is anybody's Cup.
Enjoy.
Matt, Tom and Jaime
_________________
Matt Dacey
Ast. Director of Coaching and Player Development
Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club |
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Days 13-14
Posted - 04/01/2003 : 15:37:04 
