2011 FC Seoul Home Opener

2010 K-League Trophy

Nice touch, having the Championship Trophy displayed in the "fun park" outside the stadium before the game.  Not that I would describe myself as a rabid fan, but FCS is my home team now, so I support them--and was in the eighth row at midfield when they won the thing last year.

Besides showing off the trophy, the fun park had several new features this year (at least for the opener) including a sky bounce, free ChickenMania fried chicken samples, two PlayStation booths, lots of new merchandising (though still nothing to fit my fat ass), and even a mechanical bull.  I put together a video of the fun park, the pre-grame "We are the Champs" showboating, and a bit of the half-time.



Success has its price--in this case, increased ticket price!  Everything went up by 2,000 W, which is, granted, the first increase since I've been going to games (2008).  Still, judging by the team's performance in their first defense of the title, they've gotten a bit uppity.  Suwon controlled the game pretty handily, winning by a 2 - 0 margin, and frankly it could have been 4 - 0.  The new star Molina was almost invisible, and even scoring virtuoso Dejan was mute. 

It's tempting to blame this on the new manager, a Korean--FCS's first homegrown coach in years, following in the large footsteps of Vingada and the fantastic (IMO) Senol Gunes.  Or, you might blame the 20 minute pre-game BS going to their heads.  Or perhaps the cold weather and slippery field.  Whatever the case, it was a disappointment for the diehard fans, and for the ten thousand or more newbies who swelled our ranks this first day.

Still, with the 2011 finals about nine months away, there's a lot of soccer yet to be played!