Diving Into The World Cup Frenzy

The World Cup kicks off today at 9 am with host Germany taking on Costa Rica in Munich. The 32-team tournament concludes with the final on July 9, and along the way is one heavenly month full of 64 matches for soccer fans (like me) all over the world. I should be glued to ESPN2 for the latest coverage. But since I'm heading out to Asia, I'll miss a couple games during the trans-pacific flight. Airlines should consider pay-per-view, it's a money tree for sure, but you've got to watch out for the drunken soccer fans who threaten inflight safety and order. I was very fortunate to grow up in a soccer-loving country (Hong Kong, the former British colony) where I was imbued with soccer rules about the same time I learned how to eat with chopsticks.

I'm donning my team shirt - England 2006 Away SS Jersey by umbro - to cheer the spirit. Hopefully they will do better than the last World Cup. The hope for England--the familiar names are either dealing with injuries (strikers Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney) or inconsistency (David Beckham). Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are probably the most consistent and talented players on a team that cannot afford to not complete this time around. It shouldn't be too difficult for England to advance to the next round from Group B, which also consists of Paraguay, Sweden, and Trinidad. The only threat is Sweden, but not formidable. If Owen and Rooney can get healthy in time for the knockout stages, they will be very hard to beat. But depending on the rookie 17-years-old Theo Walcott up front for the entire tournament seems to be a very risky proposition.

Stay tuned for my prediction by the groups.