"We’re going to the National Cup," he says.

But that is a story for End of Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we break down the physics of the "Banana Ball" and the emotional gut-punch of the penalty shootout.

What makes Shaolin Soccer Part 1 so compelling is not the action—it’s the silence between the kicks. Sing is a pure idealist who has never tasted defeat in combat, only in finance. Fung is a cynic who has tasted defeat in every possible form.

We are, of course, talking about the 2001 cult masterpiece Shaolin Six —better known to Western audiences as Shaolin Soccer .

The article concludes Part 1 with the first official match: The Shaolin Team (a ragtag collection of janitors and cooks wearing mismatched cleats) versus The Jade Exports Industrial Unit.