World Cup

It's about 45 minutes to game time. US-Czech Rep.

The US is going to play a 4-5-1, which is good, I think. Getting both Convey and Beasley on the pitch. I think they have their best 11 on the field with the option of bringing in Wolf or Johnson as subs if they need more offense.

I hope this turns out like Portugal, a fast opening that takes the Euros by surprise and they withstand the frantic attack in the second half.

I'm just hoping for a point.

Ciela and I are watching at home, but all things being equal, I'd rather be at a bar with people who know what they are watching. We seemed forever relegated to steerage in america. The US culture--it's showcaseing of individual effort, mania for stats, and willingness (even desire) to tolerate long stopages in play--will never really embrace soccer's team aesthetic, low scoring and lack of room for commercials. I'm sure that this antipathy may be one reason I like the game. And why I think baseball can be remarkably boring if it's not the world series--or god help me, if I have to play the game.

Okay 40 minutes to game time. Time to go paint my face, hang the big American flag, and crack open a beer. Hey, it's 6pm in Germany.

UPDATE: 0-3. Crap. Where the hell was the team? Blah. Too disgusted to write anything about it.