It’s been a While… The Adventures of a Seoul E-Land Fan Abroad Episode 5

I must start with an apology. I know it is now mid-August, and my last instalment was back in May. That and 13 games have passed since we last touched base. However as I mentioned before, I came to Thailand to take the foot off the gas a little but now I work almost twice as much as I did in Seoul! But it is all okay as I still find time to watch Seoul march on up the K League 2 ladder.

As it has been so long since our last meet-up, I have decided to give you a few special games over the last few months and how I spent my time watching them. With seven wins, two draws, and five losses in that window, there is a lot to uncover in the life of a Seoul E-Land fan abroad.

A Special Saturday Night...

I guess I will start off with one of the biggest days of my life here in Thailand so far, May 25th 2024. It was the day that Seoul E-Land made their way to the Suwon World Cup stadium to take on a Suwon Bluewings side that were looking for revenge. Oh, how I still had happy memories of our injury-time win against the Bluewings a few weeks prior, yet he had to face them again so soon.

For me, I was at a 4th birthday party, drinking the complimentary lemonade and fixated on my phone over the game. Suwon drew first blood in this tie and I was set to believe that it was about time that Suwon out-performed Seoul in this fixture. However, how wrong could I have been? Lee Dong-ryul decided to break Suwon’s heart in the 86th minute by equalizing. I was ecstatic to think we were taking a point away from home at the Big Bird. Although how wrong could I be, Park Min-seo and that man again Lee Dong-rul decided to turn Seoul into 2008 Barcelona and stick the knife into Suwon. Seoul ran out 3-1 winners and I was video-calling friends from Seoul in the spare room of the house.

A video call after a big win has become the norm this season.

Now, it did not end there though. There was another special game that evening. The FA Cup final, the second Manchester Derby final and I for one was not as confident as I was of Seoul vs Suwon. How wrong could I have been? Manchester United edged through to be crowned champions of the FA Cup and I was in tears on my condo floor. I could not believe that on that day, football won. Seoul and United both got a victory and I could not have been happier. Now you may ask me why I decided to watch an FA Cup final in my condo and not out, as it was a 9pm kick-off time on a Saturday! Well let’s just say my confidence levels on the Red Devils were not at a level to be out in the town, especially Pattaya, but on how wrong I was. Maybe it is time I dare to believe.

A Sleepy Start to Summer

After that special day in May, Seoul picked up another victory against Gyeongnam the week after. However, then it all started to go downhill. Seoul had a three-week break between games and forgot what the game of football was.

First, it was the loss against Anyang, followed by a 3-0 battering by Ansan, and finished by a humbling by Chungnam Asan. I watched all three games at home thinking that this is 2021 all over again and I will never be able to wear a Seoul shirt in Thailand again.

I thought this was the start of the downfall.

I was starting to get embarrassed walking into work and my co-workers asking me how Seoul were doing. What would I say? I was declaring we were going to win the league in May, and now we are sliding down the table in June. As you may have guessed, I kept my head down from K League talk for a couple of weeks this summer.

Back In Business

So the first work/ Seoul match clash happened in July when Seoul went to visit Gimpo. A Wednesday evening game had me constantly checking my computer, whilst working. Do not get me wrong I was highly professional and waited for downtime in the workload to flick onto TV K League, however, what a game I was missing.

Seoul ran riot in Gimpo, putting five past them and topping up that goals-scored tally once more. I actually managed to run home in time for the second half of this one, via 7-Eleven for some lemonade. It was a lovely treat to come back to the condo after a hard day's work and see Seoul completely dominate. Something which they have done so many times before this season.

Seoul Island Boys

So remember earlier when I said I was rushed off my feet for the last couple of months? Well, August 9th was kind of the end of that load of extra work and there was finally time to look back upon what was a busy couple of months. To celebrate I decided to get myself on to the local island near Pattaya called Koh Larn.

The weekend’s tasks were simple. Find a hotel, find a lovely beach, and find some liquid refreshments. I succeeded in all three tasks. As for events in the capital, it was Seoul E-Land welcoming Busan Ipark to Leoul Park.

I can get use to this island life

As I sat there, the sun going down, lemonade in hand. I watched the mighty Seoul E-Land once more fill me with hope. I really believe this could be a special year for Seoul if they can just keep going. It was a beautiful way to end a busy work period for myself, not many could have said they watched Seoul win big as the sun went down.

Can We Believe?

Now once again my apologies for not getting this done a lot sooner, it really has been a busy couple of months. However, I believe I have covered the big games which have shaped Seoul to where they are right now in the table.

I hope it will not be another couple of months before I find myself writing again, we are getting down to the business end of the season and Seoul find itself in a nice position. Hey, for all we know my next article could be me sitting in a Bangkok airport on my way to Seoul for the playoff final. That would be my dream, however, this Seoul team have done something to me this year and I would not put it out of the question of their season being wrapped up by then, with silverware in hand. Come on Seoul!