The World's Worst Soccer Teams - Taiwan

Introduction

The Island is the second-worst soccer team in the world today. The national squad, once a powerful team on the continent of Asia, has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Throughout the 1950s, Taiwan called special attention when the men's soccer team earned twice the Asian title. However, it was the last time Taiwan was seen in the podium.

Country Profile: Taiwan

Taiwan -also known as Chinese Taipei- covers a land area of 13,900 square miles. More than 23 million people live in the Island. The capital and largest city of the Island is Taipei. Politically, Taiwan is a democratic state since 2000. The United Nations does not recognize Taiwan. The country is only recognized by 23 countries in the world: Belize (Central America),Burkina Faso (Africa), Dominican Republic (Caribbean), El Salvador (Central America), Gambia (West Africa), Guatemala (Central America), Haiti (Caribbean), Holy See (Europe), Honduras (Central America), Kiribati (South Pacific), Marshall Islands (Oceania), Nauru (South Pacific), Nicaragua (Central America), Palau (Oceania), Panama (Central America), Paraguay (South America), Saint Kitts & Nevis (Caribbean), Saint Lucia (Caribbean), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Caribbean), Sao Tome and Principe (Africa), Solomon Islands (South Pacific), Swaziland (Southern Africa), and Tuvalu (South Pacific). Economically, it is one of Asia's most industrialized countries, together with Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan.

Rise and Fall of the Taiwanese Soccer

In its first appearance at an important international event, the national team won the gold medal in the Asian Games in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, in 1954. Chinese Taipei arrived as the unknown to experts of the Asian Games. However, they were the big surprise. At the onset, the tournament was dominated by Taiwan. In the first round, they picked up two wins. It defeated South Vietnam (3-2) and the Philippines (4-0). Then, it beat Indonesia 4-2 in the semi-finals. Subsequently, Chinese Taipei defeated South Korea 5-2, to earn first place in the Asian Games. Curiously SK went to Manila as favorites to win the gold medal.

Four years later, the national squad earned the regional title, at the expense South Korea (silver medal) and Indonesia (bronze medal). At the 1958 Tokyo Games, the men's soccer team -that was perhaps the best Taiwan team- became the first squad to successfully defend a men's Asian title. Group A was dominated by Taiwan. On May 24, 1958, Chinese Taipei routed Malaysia 2-1. Two days later, they beat Pakistan 3-1. In the next round, the national squad defeated Israel (2-0) and then routed Indonesia (1-0). In the 1958 men's final, Chinese Taipei beat South Korea 3-2. By 1956, Korea had won the Asian Cup. For political reasons, however, the Island could not defend its Asian title in the Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the early 1960s.

But the so-called "golden age" of Taiwanese football ended in the 1960s. Between October 14 and October 23, 1960, the Island placed third at the Asian Cup, behind South Korea (winner) and Israel (runner-up). During that event, they defeated the Philippines (7-4), Hong Kong (7-4) and South Vietnam (2-0). By the late 1960s, Chinese Taipei finished fourth in the Asian Cup in Iran. In the first round, it defeated the Philippines (9-0), Indonesia (3-2), and South Korea (1-0) and tied with Japan (2-2). The country advance but was quickly put out by Iran (0-4), and Israel (1-4) in the semi-finals.

Over the next decades, the results were quite poor. Unlike Japan, South Korea, China and Korea DPR, Taiwan -where there are more than 500 soccer stadiums-- has not qualified for the FIFA World Cup. By 2006, the national team lost to Kuwait 10-0. In 2010 Chinese Taipei, a member of the FIFA since the 1950s, is ranked 162nd on the Planet, behind Sierra Leone (one of the world's poorest nations), Nicaragua ( a baseball-loving nation), Maldives (one of the world's smallest countries), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (a war-torn country in Africa), and Iraq (a republic in crisis for decades).

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women in America" and "Famous Americans."

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