Get Ready for New Iraqi Soccer Team

“Be ready for anything. Keep in mind that Iraq has a new team. Its members have great team spirit and is loaded with patriotism.”

The Asian Cup semifinals will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 7:20 p.m. on July 25. The Iraqi soccer team coach, Jorvan Vieira, is rallying his players to play hard in honor of their country.

“Think of the people watching this game from Baghdad. We must deliver them the good news of victory. We can’t be just another onlooker at a big party,” he told his players.

The Iraqi team had been an underdog, because the players were in difficult circumstances with the ongoing civil war. It has proved itself to be a tough team defeating all the expectations.

It beat Australia 3-1 to finish first in Group A and Vietnam 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The media touted that the difficulties Iraq faces at home gave the team more focus.

“We beat Vietnam, but we didn’t give it our best effort. Some players did not cooperate well enough and definitely lost their focus,” coach Vieira chided the team after it beat Vietnam.

“Korean players never lose their fighting spirit,” said coach Pim Verbeek of the Korean team after the team’s victory over Iran on the other hand. “We want to go to Jakarta,” said team captain Lee Un-jae.

He meant that he wanted to get to the finals, which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 29. Korea will have to beat Iraq to get there.

Korea, which is ranked 58th in the FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) ranking, has a better record than Iraq, which is ranked 80th with five wins, nine draws, and two losses. It beat Iraq on June 29 by a score of 3-0. But the Iraqi team has improved since then.

Younis Mahmoud, who has three goals in this tournament, is the player to watch out for. “We are all vowing to work hard to get to Jakarta,” said Lee Cheon-soo.

bluesky@donga.com