Bill Simmons cracks me up, but he doesn't exactly think a whole heck of a lot of soccer. That said, this excerpt from his running diary of the US/Poland game in 2002 shows that even a soccer hater can appreciate the World Cup. It's on Page 2 now since he apparently writes a new column once a week now.

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Quick plug for the World Cup: I'm not a soccer guy by any means, but I enjoy any sporting event when the following things apply -- 1) Players are playing at a world-class level, 2) the level of intensity is through the roof, and 3) the crowds are fantastic. I could watch a kickball match if those three things applied; hell, I could watch two guys playing dominoes. So for anyone to say that they can't watch the World Cup because they don't like soccer ... I just don't get it. I can't think of a more dramatic sporting event.

For instance, Monday's South Korea-U.S. match featured the best crowd I've ever heard for any sporting event. I mean, ever. I'm not kidding. They spent two solid hours screaming their heads off, organizing cool chants, rocking in rhythm, maintaining an unreal level of intensity ... it was amazing to watch and hear, giving the game almost a primal feel. The fact that the United States held on for a 1-1 tie was even more amazing. Just an unforgettable game. And if you can't appreciate something like that, I don't know what to tell you.

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"The rest of the world will be rooting for the U.S. to fall flat on its face. Tell your soccer-hating friends that if they couldn't care less about how the U.S. does in these games, they are right in line with the French."

Page 2 writer Michael Davies

Another article/reason for non-soccer fans to support the US team:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=370304&cc=5901

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U.S. national team prepared for the hate
Try playing with chants of "Osama bin Laden! Osama bin Laden!" raining down, the Americans say. Try getting ready for kickoff with uniformed militia guarding the field holding ready-to-fire machine guns. Try scoring a goal with rocks, batteries and bottles flying toward you. And try falling asleep the night before a match while fans drive by your team hotel, honking horns, setting off cherry bombs and blasting music.

Over the last decade, at matches in Latin American countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica, U.S. players have been pelted with everything from batteries and coins to screws and saliva. In one match, former coach Steve Sampson said his players were bombed with bags of urine and animal blood. In the mid-90s, defender Paul Caligiuri was treated for welts on his back after being sprayed with a chemical substance, presumably acid.

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[This message has been edited by dfifadara (edited 6/8/2006 8:56a).]