Pitch Fever

Rolled out of bed at 5:45 a.m. Sunday morning. Almost 20 hours later, crawled into bed at 1 a.m. this morning. Why? Soccer.

I've got the fever. Despite the fact the month-long soccer celebration known as the World Cup has kicked off, and the Americans start their Cup today (more on that shortly), I just needed to see soccer firsthand. So Elizabeth and I took a day-trip to Dallas, much like many we took while we were in college. In the process we saw FC Dallas defeat Chivas USA 2-1.

It was good to get back to an MLS game, as I hadn't been to one in two summers. After the World Cup 4 years ago, my friend Binni and I made several trips to the Cotton Bowl to see the Dallas Burn play. We had great trips, getting onto the field with the players and actually meeting a number of them -- including former national team players Clint Mathis and Cobi Jones. However, this was my first trip to see FC Dallas (the team changed from the Burn two years ago) and the team's new facility, Pizza Hut Park in Frisco.

Elizabeth and I met Binni in Shreveport early Sunday morning before driving over to Dallas, where we had lunch with my mom and stepfather. Afterwards, we drove up to Frisco to check out the new park and the game. And it was a blast. I love watching soccer on TV, but the sport is so much better live. They say the same thing about hockey. It's true because you get to see the whole field. You get to see the plays develop. You see the beautiful runs being made. It's just fantastic. I still can't figure out why this game hasn't taken off more in the States.

It was a great trip. I had forgotten how much fun it was to be around Binni when we are both in our element (that would be just about anything sports-related). Although we haven't spent a ton of time together recently, there were moments (and Elizabeth can attest to it) where it was like we've been around each other every day for the past year. Binni, thanks for the trip. Hopefully, we can put another one in this summer.

Yanks make their Cup debut

In a couple of hours, the U.S. national team starts its World Cup with the first of 3 matches in group play against the Czech Republic. Here's my prediction for the Starting XI and how the game will turn out:

Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller. No shocker here. Unless Keller gets hurt, he will play every minute of the Cup, like Brad Friedel did in 2002.

Defenders: Steve Cherundolo, Eddie Lewis, Eddie Pope and Oguchi Onweyu. Pope and Onweyu, the central defenders, are the anchor of the defense. Pope has the experience, while Onweyu is a pup. However, the 23-year-old is emerging as the future of the U.S. backline. He's set to have a coming out party this Cup. Cherundolo and Lewis both play important roles because of their versatility. They anchor the outside of the U.S. defense, yet they are both vitally important in making runs up the sideline to jumpstart the Americans' counter-strike offense.

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley, Claudio Reyna, Pablo Mastroeni, and Bobby Convey. Beasley is one of the fastest players in the world and perhaps the most creative player on the U.S. roster. However, he's moving from the left side to the right. How will he respond on the international level to playing out of position? Convey is the most fit athlete on the U.S. team, and the 23-year-old's emergence has moved Beasley across the field. Convey will do something special in his first World Cup. Reyna is the seasoned veteran, captain, leader and best all-around player on the U.S. team. In a comparison to basketball, he is the team's point guard. Or in football, the quarterback. In 2002, he was chosen as one of the best 11 in the tournament. Now in his fourth Cup, his ability to stay healthy and be the anchor could propel the U.S. to new heights. Mastroeni, much like 2002, will not get much notice. He plays a defensive midfield spot that if he's playing well is meant not to be noticed. Pablo does the dirty work and has no problem doing so.

Forwards: Brian McBride and Landon Donovan. McBride is a world-class striker, perhaps the only true goal scorer on the entire U.S. roster. How many opportunities he can get and whether or not he is able to capatilize will determine just how good this U.S. offense is this year. Donovan's versatility is his strength. While not a true forward, he does possess the ability to put the ball in the net. And his speed up top gives the U.S. a good 1-2 punch with McBride.

Subs: Tim Howard (GK), Marcus Hahnemann (GK), Chris Albright (D), Carlos Bocanegra (D), Gregg Berhalter (D), Jimmy Conrad (D), John O'Brien (MF), Clint Dempsey (MF), Ben Olsen (MF) Eddie Johnson (F), Brian Ching (F), Josh Wolff (F).

The subs are so important for head coach Bruce Arena because he likes to play so many people over the three games. Last Cup, all but one of the 20 position players got into at least one game. This year, I believe around 17 will play. Part of the strength of the U.S. is the fact its players (such as Donovan, Convey and Lewis) can play multiple positions on the field. This provides depth even when depth is limited.

For this first game against the Czechs, I see the Yanks making an early statement with a 2-0 victory against the world's No. 2 team. If the U.S. doesn't win or tie, it will not advance out of this group. Following the Czechs with the favored Italians, coupled with the fact that 80 percent of teams who don't score at least 1 point in their first game don't advance out of group play, adds to the importance of this game. But the U.S. has waited 4 years for this moment -- to prove 2002 was no fluke, to prove the Americans can play on European soil and to prove the U.S. has become a world power in soccer.

Brian McBride scores on a header off a corner kick, while Donovan puts in the second goal off a beautiful feed from Convey.