The soccer team’s World Cup goal is to advance to the round of 16. The goal of the baseball team participating in the Baseball World Cup World Baseball Classic (WBC), which started in 2006, is the semifinals. It is successful only if it advances to the semifinals in the US, and it can satisfy the high level of fan demand. Soccer is not only a final round of 32, but also a globalized sport. In baseball, there are few participating teams, and Europe and Africa are barren. The goal itself is inevitably different.
The Korean national team won the semi-finals in 2006 and the runner-up in 2009. After that, in 2013 and 2017, he failed to get a ticket to the semifinals to the United States. It’s a failed contest. Coach Kim In-sik, who advanced to the semifinals twice in a row in the 2006 and 2009 tournaments, was admired as a national coach. 안전놀이터
During the 2013 tournament, coach Ryu Joong-il took the baton. Losing 0-5 to the Netherlands in the first match in Group A qualifiers was a hindrance. Even though the three teams were tied at 2-1, they could not participate in the second round in Japan. In 2017, KBO called director Kim In-shik back. However, it recorded the worst performance in WBC history. In the first round held at the Gocheok Dome, Israel and the Netherlands were eliminated one after another with 1 win and 2 losses. I tasted the humiliation of not being able to go to the second round in Japan for two consecutive tournaments.
The reason why the Netherlands, which is famous for its football orange corps, is good at baseball in Europe is because of the Dutch countries in the Caribbean. The countries of Curacao and Aruba in the Caribbean serve as the lifeline of the major leagues. Kenley Jansen (Boston) and Ozzie Albis (Atlanta) are from Curacao, and shortstop Xander Bogatz (San Diego) is from Aruba. The Netherlands is in Group A with Taipei, Cuba, Italy and Panama for the 2023 tournament.
It is not easy to secure a ticket to the semifinals of the 2023 Korean team and to the United States. Even if they advance to the second round with Japan in Group B, the second round will take a plane to the United States again. In Group A, there is no guarantee that the top two teams will advance to the semifinals by beating Cuba, Taipei, or Panama, who are likely to advance to the second round. Many of Panama’s players are from the major leagues.
If so, it was rather easy to advance to the semifinals in the first year and 2009, but why is it getting more and more difficult? Is it because the Korean team is exceptionally weak and other countries are getting stronger? All issues are complex. It’s not that simple. One of the many reasons is the training schedule ahead of the competition.