Korea reaches an early end

In spite of the efforts of Korea's twelfth man (that would be the fans), Korea was whipped out of the 2006 World Cup by losing to Switzerland.

When it was all said and done, Korea finished with a record of 1-1-1. They didn't play badly in this tournament, but they showed that they aren't quite in the league of the Euro powers when it comes to talent and execution.

The sad part of it is that the partying has ended too soon here in Korea. As I've mentioned before, the experience of having been in Korea during the 2002 World Cup was one of the most thrilling times of my life. So much energy, so much euphoria anytime Korea played and won. We got that feeling once this time, after the Togo match, and people were pretty happy with the draw against France. But there was no joy in Korea-ville following the loss to Switzerland. And just like that, the atmosphere in Korea seems to have returned to normal.

If I pay further attention to the World Cup this time, I'll probably root for Australia. It'll be interesting if Hiddink can work his coaching magic with a third consecutive team at the World Cup.