Panmunjom, Korea ? They walked in a line, as if walking out on to the soccer field. Only this time, the U.S. soccer team was heading to the last vestige of the Cold War.

Just feet from the line of demarcation, the Americans saw North Korean soldiers, weapons at the ready. Behind them were soldiers from the United States and South Korea, in camouflage with guns at their sides.

A fan of the Senegal soccer team celebrates a 1-0 victory over France. The stunning win over the defending World Cup champions came during the World Cup opener on Friday in Seoul, South Korea.

“I was so clueless until today,” said DaMarcus Beasley, at 20 the youngest U.S. player. “People take for granted what goes on in the world. You forget how much people do for our country. This is a way of seeing what they do day in and day out.”

DMB wasn’t the only one at the DMZ.

Eleven of the 23 American players and 12 staff members traveled Friday to the 2,000-meter-wide, 151-mile-long strip that divides North and South Korea. They came from Seoul in a Chinook C-47D helicopter, landing on a baseball field in a scene out of “MASH.”

“We’re too often in the limelight,” U.S. coach Bruce Arena said Friday after his players examined the curled razor wire up close. “What we do in the big picture is not that important.”

Others in the group include Kasey Keller, Joe-Max Moore, Claudio Reyna, Tony Meola, Tony Sanneh, John O’Brien, Gregg Berhalter, Jeff Agoos and Eddie Pope.

About 300 American soldiers are stationed at the DMZ. Several told the players they were soccer fans and planned to attend the first-round games involving the U.S. team.