World Cup 2010

I didn't grow up playing soccer. My first exposure was in college on an intramural team... where it took about 10 seconds for me to realize that I knew absolutely nothing about the game. The St. Louis kids made it look so easy (at that time St. Louis was the soccer capital of the USA). My second exposure to 'big-time' soccer was during my NROTC cruise to Italy during the 1978 World Cup. Visiting Rome during one Saturday while Italy was playing, one could walk down a street and hear the game on every radio and TV in the city. And nobody on the streets or in the shops and markets.

Despite intense marketing and promotion, the game has never really caught on in the US. We cannot handle the long stretches where nothing much happens. A 0-0 game? Where's the fun and excitement in that? And... I confess that sometimes I watch and wish that something would happen. But the pure athleticism, the chess-like strategy, and the heart-pounding excitement when something DOES happen.... is unsurpassed. So I'll be watching this year, cheering when the USA ties England 1-1, grousing about yellow cards, or what should be yellow cards. And maybe dream of retiring to a place where soccer is a national passion.