Its nearly time for the greatest event in sport. The World Cup is around ten days away, kicking off on Friday, June 9. The American side, coming off a surprising run to the quarterfinals four years ago, is faced with higher expectations this time around and probably won’t be able to surprise other teams the way they used to. Are they up to the challenge? Maybe, maybe not. They are in a really difficult group in round robin play, and open the tournament on June 12 against the highly regarded Czech Republic team.
Let’s face it, the Americans are a longshot to win – odds are better for Brazil and the Netherlands, among a few favorites. But they do have a decent chance of making a run like they did last time. Take a few minutes and meet the American team. The team is made up of rock-solid veterans like captain Claudio Reyna and star goalkeeper Kasey Keller, and emerging players like Bobby Convey and Clint Dempsey. Of course the face of the team is probably still Landon Donovan.
I know some of you think that I’m a weenie for caring about soccer. But just give it a chance and watch a couple of games during the World Cup.