idn't see the North Korean team clamoring to get a look at Fenway Park this weekend?
It's because they weren't interested.
''One if by land, two if by sea?''
Unless Paul Revere has ideas on how to stop Mia Hamm, the North Koreans just are not interested.
While the national media have been hyping the Women's World Cup since it began June 19, stories on North Korea have been lacking. The team has preferred to stay well out of the spotlight.
Today they will be unable to avoid it, when they play their third and final Group A game at Foxboro Stadium against the United States.
''This is the first time we have been to the World Cup,'' technical coach Kim Hak Yong said. ''We must concentrate more on our training and preparation than anything else.''
This is a stark contrast to a team like Ghana, which also is playing in its first World Cup. When the Black Queens were in Boston prior to their June 20 game, they enjoyed tours of the city, Ghanians living in Massachusetts invited them to barbecues, and they reportedly ate very well.
When the North Koreans arrived in the United States for the tournament, they took up a training site in New Jersey that was well out of the way. They met with reporters, but did everything possible to keep the interviews focused on soccer.
Because of this low profile, the North Koreans have become the tournament's ''unknown team.''
Their opening game, a 2-1 loss to Nigeria, did little to clear things up. In the 29th minute of the game, Kum Sil Kim, the team's captain and leading scorer in the Asian Cup qualifying tournament, was pulled. No explanation was given.
North Korea got its first win Thursday night in Portland, Ore., beating Denmark, 3-1.
''We are quite energized by the victory,'' Yong said. ''We are pleased with the overall individual play of the team.''
The North Koreans did show flashes of personality during the game.
After scoring the first goal, forward Pyol Hui Jin made a beeline to the bench and threw herself into a headfirst slide across the wet turf. By the time she came to a stop, her teammates had piled on.
That goal also demonstrated the playmaking abilities of the team. Jin began the play with a short pass to Song Ok Jo. Jo drew a pair of defenders to her before calmly slipping the ball back to Jin.
Denmark's goalkeeper, Dorthe Larsen, charged out of the net to get a piece of the ball, but Jin recovered, took two steps, and lofted a shot into the net.
And if the following is any indication, North Korea is tough: Midway through the second half against Denmark, midfielder Kum Suk Ri got blasted square in the face by a shot from Denmark's Mikka Hansen. The ball deflected back past Hansen, who turned to retrieve. Ri simply took two steps back, shook her head, then charged right back at Hansen.
''They are difficult to play against because they play very good defense,'' Denmark coach Jorgen Hvidemose said. ''They counterattack well and play very tough.''
Not everyone thinks the North Koreans are being that secretive.
''In every training, there have been a number of journalists,'' said Ryu Song Il, the general secretary of North Korea's national Olympic committee. ''They have been able to take pictures and come to practice.''
Still, reporters in Portland were told the only time to talk to anyone from the North Korean delegation was after the game. But when interview requests were made for players after the win over Denmark, three officials gave the same answer: No more media.
The team's Wednesday practice in Portland was scheduled to coincide with the first of two games being played in the city that night.
Only one piece of information was volunteered by Song-Il: The delegation was not happy about having a layover in Denver on the way from Portland to Boston.
A quarterfinal berth is still not out of the question for North Korea. It is tied with Nigeria for second in Group A with 3 points. The first tie-breaker is goal differential. North Korea is plus-1. Nigeria and Denmark are each minus-5, but both already have faced the high-powered American offense. Now it's North Korea's turn.
''We will work hard to prepare for it,'' Yong said. ''The US is stronger than the Danes. All of their players have more experience and are very skilled. We must pay more attention in this game than in our previous matches.''
Guess that means there hasn't been any time for Harvard Square.
