MIAMI (WSVN) – Some passionate fans got to greet Turkey\u2019s national soccer team as they began warming up for their first FIFA World Cup friendly in more than two decades, Wednesday.<\/p>\n
As players took to the pitch at Florida Blue Training Center in Fort Lauderdale to prepare for their first World Cup appearance since 2002, fans shared their excitement to seeing them back on the largest stage in sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast time we joined the World Cup, we got third place, we got bronze,\u201d said 7-year-old fan Artun.<\/p>\n
While he may be young, Artun has a wealth of knowledge about Turkey\u2019s soccer team.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurkey has the record of scoring the fastest goal in World Cup history with just 11 seconds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hakan \u015e\u00fck\u00fcr scored that record-setting goal in the 2002 third-place playoff match against South Korea, who cohosted the World Cup that year.<\/p>\n
That dedication is what brought Artun and his family to the training facility, where they waited for hours for a chance at a glimpse of the team stepping off the bus before they hit the field.<\/p>\n
That long wait paid off in an unforgettable moment as Artun and his family got to greet some of the players and take some photos together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still waiting after they leave training and town. He might have a chance to see them again,\u201d said Turkish fan Irem Tas.<\/p>\n
The 24-year absence makes this year\u2019s return to the international competition that much sweeter for the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a country, we need to be in this kind of organization, in any sport,\u201d said former NBA star Hedo T\u00fcrko\u011flu.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrko\u011flu\u2019s extensive basketball experience includes facing off against the United States\u2019 2004 squad in two closely contested games, something his country\u2019s soccer team will have to prepare to do after being placed in Group D along with the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity. I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a lot of Turkish people that lives here too, I\u2019m sure those games will be half-and-half,\u201d said T\u00fcrko\u011flu.<\/p>\n
As Turkey\u2019s team runs through their preparations for the biggest tournament of their lives, T\u00fcrko\u011flu said all these players can ask for is strong support from their fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already know what kind of pressure they have or what kind of responsibility they have so it\u2019s not just what to tell them, it\u2019s just to show them that we are \u2013 the whole Turkey\u2019s behind them,\u201d said T\u00fcrko\u011flu.<\/p>\n
Turkey will take on Venezuela in a friendly at Inter Miami CF Stadium on June 6.<\/p>\n
Once they wrap up their training and play that friendly, Turkey will make their way to Vancouver, Canada, where they will take on Australia at BC Place for their first match on June 14. Their first match against the U.S. will happen on June 25 at Los Angeles Stadium on Channel 7.<\/p>\n
You can catch all the World Cup action on WSVN-7 starting on June 11.<\/p>\n
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