BAN CHAN KREM, Kingdom of Thailand -- The world watches every four years as countries from around the globe assemble their best players and make a bid for a position in the initial eight groups.
After a few weeks of games, the best 16 teams have earned their spot in the World Cup.
Marines from the Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Korea and the United States bonded during a game of soccer Feb. 16 at Ban Chan Krem, Kingdom of Thailand during Exercise Cobra Gold.
“It was exciting to have a chance to do something active, with Marines from a different country, that wasn’t military training,” said Cpl. Joshua Luna, a maintenance manager with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment currently assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force under the unit deployment program. “There is no better way to unite than through a common similarity.”
The teams were split evenly between the three countries. Each country supplied three Marines to play per team per half. With halves of 30-minutes, each Marine got plenty of time to get to know their new teammates.
“I was happy to hear the leaders decided we would play a game of soccer," said Pfc. Han Chanyoung, a radio operator for Headquarters Company with the ROK Marine Corps. “Since it’s the world’s sport, it seemed to be the best fitting option to allow all of us to get to know each other.”
Team Cobra outplayed Team Gold during the first half putting them ahead 6 – 2, a lead that would stand throughout the rest of the game.
“We’ve spent the last week training hard together,” said Capt. Jirapan Sukpimai, a squad leader for 3rd Company, 7th Battalion of the Royal Thai Marines. “Today’s game of soccer was a welcome break to be able to spend time together doing something that didn’t involve the military.”
Cobra Gold demonstrates the U.S. and the Kingdom of Thailand’s commitment to a long-standing alliance and regional partnership.
There was something different about everyone now, according to Chanyoung. When the game started there was very little conversation from one nation to another. By the end, many Marines were expressing the desire to stay and continue the game.
“After just one half, I felt closer to each and every player on the field,” said Luna. “We are out (at Cobra Gold) trying to strengthen our alliances in the Asian-Pacific region, and sometimes the best way to do that is to step away from the job and meet each other on a different kind of field.”
Both the Thai and Korean Marines said they were impressed by the skill of the Americans in a sport that isn’t a traditional American pastime, and were extremely grateful for the opportunity to play alongside allies and new friends.