A Great Day to Play Soccer!!!

At first, our team was leading the game, scoring two goals in only 5 minutes after the starting whistle. However, our players were much weaker in cardiorespiratory endurance, and the team-play got worse as time passed. The other team scored two goals in the second half and the final result was a tie. As a center forward of the team, I felt angry but sorry for my teammates because I wasn’t able to make as many significant chances for a goal as I expected. Still, I and others were at least glad that we did not lose. We had a barbeque with the 18^th wave players-who were not given the chance to play although they long wished for the opportunity-and our managers later in the afternoon.

“It’s a great day to play soccer!” This is what my soccer coach in the US always used to say, before we began our actual practice. He was a man who simply “loved” soccer. Just like his arm or legs, a soccer ball was a natural part that belonged to him. From this enthusiastic coach, I learned not only the skills and techniques of the game, but also how to truly enjoy the sport. Even now, soccer is a very big part of my high school life, and I usually go out to the green, grass field to play after classes.

I’ve loved soccer from so early an age that it was almost immediately after the moment I learned to walk. Kicking the ball as hard as I could was a thrill that nothing else could provide. Also, the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Korea was a huge stimulus for kids my age to get fascinated with the spectacular sport. Captain Hong(Hong Myong-bo) was a great hero, perhaps the living Superman for all boys at the time.

Even after I got into KMLA, I kept playing soccer at times I got stressed out and needed rest. Due to KMLA’s somewhat freer(?) schedule, I found it easier to spare time to play soccer than I did in my middle school days. I got into a soccer club called CGV, and somehow became the vice-captain of the team.

As representatives of KMLA, CGV participates in a soccer league consisted of teams from special-purpose high schools. Every year, we get a satisfactory result, usually making it into the finals. This year, CGV have had two matches with two schools in our preliminary group-Goyang and Gangwon Foreign Language High schools. We tied with both teams with a score of 2-2. This Thursday, which was the 6^th of June, was the day we had a game with Gangwon Foreign Language High School. That match was a very important one for CGV because the result of the match basically decided CGV’s chance of going into the finals this season. Other than these two schools, we are planned to compete with Buk-il High School, whose team is one of the best in the Amateur League. We all knew that we couldn’t stand a chance against Buk-il. Therefore, in order for us to safely make it to the finals, we had to win the match against Gangwon.

What can I say? Even though we had a tie, it is a great relief that we did not lose, and we also had a fun barbeque. Most importantly, all of the players who came out(including those of the second string) got a chance to play on the field and enjoyed the game as actual players, instead of spending the whole time as benchwarmers. Notwithstanding the somewhat unsatisfactory results, we finally felt with our hearts that we are a team - not individual players, but one team. In the end, that’s what matters! As we were coming back to the dormitory dragging our tired bodies, we promised each other to make the impossible happen: we will beat Buk-il High and go to the finals!