"World Cup Mania"
6/22/02 6:00am It takes a bit of hindsight to actually tell my tale of the 2002 FiFA World Cup. Growing up, Iwas never really a soccer fan. Japan always had its roots in the sport of soccer, played almost as frequently as the game of baseball. During my brief yet meaningful residence in the city of Chappaqua, NY, my mom decided it was ideal that I follow the road of a regular Japanese boy by partaking me in the mini-soccer program that the small village offered. It was basically me and a bunch of rich white folks, and I never really got into the game. Simply put, I sucked. Up until I found my love for the game of basketball, had I really considered myself an athlete. Regardless,the sport of soccer was alwaystainted by my early childhood memories of running, running, running some more... and frustration. Naturally, I was never really into the World Cup Soccer events that were held every four years, in different parts of the world no less.
Now skip with me to the golden years of the JP`s reign. The friends that were so deeply rooted with Japanese pride, began having interest in their home-nation`s chances at the World Cup. Of course, they`ve always been the underdogs in the competition, but at least they were working hardrepresenting the Asian race. The JPs got me intoSoccer video games, and I started thinking "soccer ain`t so bad".
During my late high school years, I was amused by the Women`s U.S. Soccer Team to win gold under their home crowd in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Maybe I just had a weird crush on Mia Hamm, I don`t know. But that only furthered my interest in this one-time
despised sport of mine.
Present day. So when people started telling me about how Korea and Japan would be co-hosting the 2002 World Cupgames, I
couldn`t help but jump on the bandwagon. It was an ideal situation, since my closest friends are all oozing with Korean pride. I could feel the excitement, as I visited the Official Store of the 2002 World Cup in Shibuya, Japan, during my visit in 2001. Lord knows, I`ve seen Big Dawg`s beaten up old World Cup shirt (from Korea`s match hosted in Dallas, TX) enough times. And then it began. Chris was the first to inform me of this year`s Japanese team, most noticeable for their bleached hair and blue uniforms. He, himself, was rather excited for China`s first appearance in the World Cup games. Then the Korean guys began staying up at night to watch the games live. These were, after all, played on the other side of the hemisphere. My parents were visiting Japan for the past month, and they definitely felt the wave of exhilaration in the co-host country. People were Instant Messaging me, discussing the outcomes of each big-game win. Eunhi, who is in the process of visiting L.A., informed me that the buzz about Korea`swin against Italy was even more than that of the Laker`s Championship victory that occurred that same week. Even Allen called me from Houston at 2 in the morning to tell me that Japan was playing Turkey. Korea and Japan both advanced to the second round, but Japan faltered against theevenly matched Turkey, ending the hopes of one co-host country. SportsCenter aired constant coverage of US` valiant effort until facing defeat to Germany in the third round.

The focus switches quickly to Korea`s amazing climb to the semi-finals - a historical feat in itself. This team has all the makings of a sports team that would be featured in Sports Century. There`s the star player, the seasoned veteran, the crafty speedster, and the underrated
goalie who meets redemption in the face of Spain`s sudden death kicks. The road continues, however, with a David vs. Goliath-type match against Germany. With Korea`s momentum in full swing, the home crowd is sure to cheer their asses off for this already instant-classic team. And I thought Arco was tough.
With only two more rounds to go in this year`s World Cup, I regretfull brace the boredom that is sure to come once the cup will finally be awarded to its rightful owner. Thankfully, there`s X-Box and the World Cup soccer game to keep my interest up for the next four years; or until Yao comes to Houston.