World Cup Thoughts

I love the World Cup and one reason is because it's like the Olympics which I also love -- absence makes the heart grow fonder, it's only every 4 years! Also, like the Olympics, it's a national thing and it's fun to see the various countries represented. I played soccer for many years as a kid and really like the sport but I can't really say that I'm a huge soccer fan in every day life. Back to the Olympics, I don't really follow downhill skiing or moguls except during that magical time every four years either.

The US drew a tough group -- Italy and the Czechs are both very good and Ghana has been called the "Brazil of Africa" definitely one of the top teams from that continent. Our match against the Czechs yesterday was a horrible start for our team. Due to work, I only got to watch about 25 minutes of the game at lunch (the last of the game) and we did not look good. Our passes were off-target, we couldn't keep control of the ball, our defenders didn't seem to attack and were too passive, and the Czechs just really out-classed us. Unless Bruce Arena really lights their fires, we have little chance against Italy. I just hope that Ghana upsets the Czechs and we beat Ghana.