I love the World Cup.
As many know, the World Cup is really not that big of a deal in the US. Nearly every time there's a conversation about soccer, a Japanese person asks me why soccer is not more popular in the US. I really have no idea. Any theories? I hear a lot of snide comments like, "Americans have no interest in sports they didn't invent," etc., but I like to think there are other explanations.
But I truly love the World Cup. I have very fond memories of the 2002 World Cup when it was held in Japan and Korea and R and I got tickets for the Japan team's three first-round games. I was in Sapporo and he was in Ibaraki, so it was crazy meeting up in Saitama, Yokohama, and Osaka for the games and then going back to work for a few days until the next one. But it was so much fun!!!! (Well, except for me slipping on a wet staircase in Osaka and getting a huge cut along my spine, that is - ha ha.)
Japan hasn't been doing that well this time around and absolutely has to win the game against Brazil coming up in order to advance. The US is holding its own, though it's hard to tell if they'll advance either. But I'm having fun nonetheless.
P.S. The photo above is of one of the amazing saves that Japan's goalkeeper Kawaguchi made during the game against Croatia. I'm personally a fan of Narazaki, another goalkeeper who is on the team but whom Zico doesn't use, but I have to admit Kawaguchi did an amazing job!
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