One Summer’s Transformation :: World Cup Korea Sports Soccer Essays

One Summers Transformation Never in my life before have I been so proud to say that I am Korean. I call myself Korean-American, but before I used to consider myself to be more American than Korean. I live in this country, verbalize English, and am fully immersed in American culture. America is my home, and I am proud of that. However, the same could not be said of my Korean heritage. I was never ashamed, but neither did I feel any particular pride in it. That was the case until this summers World Cup 2002, co-hosted by lacquer and Korea. Though not an extremely passionate soccer fan before, I started to watch the world cup with increasing interest. The first day when the USA m unstoppable Portugal, whose team consisted of Luis Figo, one of the worlds best soccer players, Rui Costa, Sergio Coneicao, and a pool of the best European talent, I was happy. However, then well-nighthing remarkable happened to me. The next day, I woke up at seven oclock in the morning to watch the Sou th Korea vs. Poland match. I had never seen an Asian team play with so much rank against a tough European team. I was really excited to see Korea win the match 2-0. During those final extra minutes of the match when I knew Korea was way out to win, a seed of pride was planted in me. From then on, I was nothing but an avid Dae Han Min Guk (South Korea) fan. The ESPN sportscasters said that they had never heard so much cheering in their lives before, and I felt the same exactly the same as the fans in the stands. It was the first Korean win in atomic number 23 world cup appearance. The next match was played between Korea and the USA. I woke at two oclock in the morning to watch with some of my friends. This time I wished for a tie because I loved both the USA and Korea. To my surprise, the game actually did end in a tie. Both my favored teams were most likely on their way to the second round. During the final game of group play, Korea beat Portugal in dramatic fashion. The winning goal by pose Ji Sung, an upcoming star, was polled by the FIFA website, the official website of the tournament, to be one of best of the World Cup.