Imagine if March Madness, the World Series or even the Superbowl occurred only once every four years. The Summer and Winter Olympics do, and they are widely viewed sporting events for this reason.
Starting June 11, 32 countries will meet and compete in South Africa for soccer’s World Cup title.
“I’m really excited because it only comes once every four years,” junior and USA supporter Alex Haffner said.
The tournament consists of eight groups, A-H, with four teams in each who play each other in the round-robin portion or the first round of the tournament. Then the top two teams from each group advance to the knock-out portion.
In the 2002 World Cup, Team USA made it the furthest they ever have before losing to Germany in the quarterfinals. Then, with high hopes for the 2006 World Cup, Team USA had an early exit after being drawn into the “Group of Death,” a group consisting of Italy, Ghana and Czech Republic.
For the 2010 World Cup, USA will be paired in Group C, along with England, Algeria and Slovenia. Many believe that being in this group will mean an easy trip to the knock-out stage of the tournament.
“I think they will make it out of the first round but not much further than that,” Haffner said. “But you never know because they beat Spain in the Confederation Cup [semifinals] and almost beat Brazil [in the finals].”
USA made a great run to qualify for the World Cup last summer by winning their qualifying group. USA also made an impressive run last summer in the Confederation Cup by making it to the final before losing to powerhouse Brazil despite leading 2-0.
While most people will be trying to study for their last couple of exams, it will be hard to study come June 12 because that is when USA has their opening match against England. This is a big day that many have had marked on their calendars ever since the World Cup draw.
After the game verses England, USA will face Slovenia June 18 and Algeria June 23.
Many find this sporting event to be very exciting and some are extremely passionate about their team. Four years ago in Germany, Italy took the title over France in penalty kicks during one of the most exciting finals ever.
“I was so excited,” junior and Italy fan Rachel Marincola said. “I went to Italy two weeks after they won and everyone was just replaying the game after they won.”
There are also some people who never pay attention to soccer, however when the World Cup comes around, they support their country soccer team for the tournament.
“I watch the World Cup because it’s good competition,”senior Jake Patton said. “It’s once every four years and a lot of star players are grouped together and play each other.”
One thing is for sure, no matter if you are a soccer fanatic or just enjoying the ride while your team is still in the tournament, international soccer should be and will be appreciated every day between June 11 and July 11.
