The US Soccer Federation and the Korea Football Association recently announced that the US and South Korean men’s national teams will play a friendly match in Los Angeles on February 1st, 2014. The game will be the first meeting between the two sides in nearly 12 years. The last time they played each other was in 2002 at the World Cup in South Korea, which ended as a 1-1 draw. Both teams have qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil next summer, and the upcoming friendly game will be an important warm-up for the competition.
Soccer is among the most popular sports in Korea, and most Koreans take extreme pride in the national team and its many accomplishments. The state of California has the nation’s largest Korean-American population, with over 500,000 residents of Korean descent. Southern California is also a hotspot of American soccer support, with two Major League Soccer teams in the area and hosting several major international games in 2013. This should mean a strong turnout of fans to support both teams.