Angeleno fans for South Korea and Mexico’s soccer teams are gearing up to watch their World Cup match.
South Korea v.s. Mexico will face off on Thursday at 6 p.m. on Mexico’s home turf at the Guadalajara Stadium.
Meanwhile, Seoul International Park in Koreatown is preparing for a big watch party for the match. Manuel Vega spoke to KNX News’ Emily Valdez about his excitement for the game.
“I feel there's a lot of love between Mexico and Korea,” he said, “Korea ended up helping Mexico in 2018 make it out of the group stage, so a lot of love there.”
He’s referring to the final matches of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Mexico lost against Sweden, and their advancement hinged on South Korea beating Germany, the defending champions.
In a crucial upset, South Korea won, advancing Mexico to the next round and knocking South Korea out. Yet, the Korean team was deemed champions by Mexican fans and started a friendship between fans.
Matthew Kim, a Korean fan, hopes that Mexico can return the favor.
“It is a very friendly rivalry; I know we helped them out significantly in the last World Cup,” he said. “I'm hoping that they can help us out this time and maybe lose or tie.”
Though South Korea has never won a World Cup, fans in Koreatown say they are proud of its players for being idols not just for people in sports but for Koreans altogether.
Follow KNX News 1070 AM
