Probably the biggest sporting event that I'm looking forward to is the 2006 World Cup. It will be the first world cup since I got really interested in soccer again, so I'm really geeked about it. Anyways, FIFA recently held the draw to determine the matchups in the first round. Unfortunately, it looks like the US may have gotten stuck in this Cup's infamous "Group of Death", where there are too many elite teams and contenders are knocked out early. The US will have to face off against perennial powerhouse Italy and current world #2 Czech Republic, plus African champs Ghana. Even worse, the US has never scored a victory against any of those nations.
This makes qualifying for the second round a dicey situation for the US, but don't count them out. Many of the players have tons of international experience, and the US is still ranked eight in the world after all. If they can get a win and salvage a draw, a lot of times that is enough. The first match is gonna be a burner against the Czechs June 12. Mark your calendars now! I'm looking forward to it already.