| Which is the greatest team sports' event? For | | | | coach Pareira has at his disposal some of the |
| most US Americans the "Super Bowll" would be | | | | most talented football players of the world: |
| an easy answer. Others, mostly attracted by | | | | Kaka, Adriano, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and of |
| baseball, basketball, or hockey, would choose | | | | course Ronaldinho the World Player of the |
| one of those sports' finals or all-star | | | | Year for the last two years.As strong |
| games, but this is not the case for the rest | | | | contenders for the title are considered, by |
| of the world. Outside of the US when people | | | | soccer experts and bookmakers, the team of |
| say football they refer to the sport that is | | | | Germany, which will play in front of its |
| known as soccer in United States and which is | | | | audience as the host-nation, and that of |
| by far the most popular sport in all of the | | | | England, Argentina and Italy. In addition, |
| five continents. The World Cup that takes | | | | the Brazilians, the French striker Thierry |
| place over a four-year period is considered | | | | Henry, the Ukrainian striker Andriy |
| as the most important athletic competition, | | | | Shevchenko, the English midfielder Frank |
| being more widely-viewed on TV exceeding even | | | | Lampard, the German midfielder Michael |
| the Olympic Games. In 2002, when North Korea | | | | Ballack and the new star of the Argentinean |
| and Japan co-hosted the World Cup the | | | | football Lionel Messi are players one will |
| cumulative TV audience was estimated to be | | | | enjoy watching.The United States' national |
| 28.8 billion, while 1.1 billion individuals | | | | team is assigned in the Group E and will face |
| watched the final match of the tournament | | | | Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic in the |
| between Brazil and Germany.This year the | | | | first stage of the tournament, giving its |
| World Cup takes place in Germany with the | | | | first game in Gelsenkirchen on the 12th of |
| first mach between Germany and Costa Rica | | | | June against the Czechs. Coach Bruce Arena |
| being scheduled on 9th of June and the last | | | | has his team believing that their mix of |
| one, the final game which is going to take | | | | young talents such as DaMarcus Beasley and |
| place one month later on the 9th of July in | | | | Landon Donovan and old campaigners like |
| Berlin. Thirty-two national teams are | | | | Claudio Reyna and Brian McBride could be |
| participating in this great "party" of world | | | | enough to go further than the quarter-finals |
| soccer and they will play in a total of | | | | where they reached in 2002.There are many |
| twelve German cities. Among the national | | | | assumptions about soccer's low popularity in |
| teams, which participate 14 come from Europe, | | | | the United States, but the most convincing |
| 5 from Africa, 4 from South America, 4 from | | | | one seem to be the fact that the American |
| Asia, 4 from North and Central America and 1 | | | | national team didn't have any serious |
| from Oceania.Brazil is the defending Word | | | | accomplishments during the last years in |
| Champion and one of the great favorites of | | | | order to attract their country's attention |
| wining the trophy this year. The Brazilians | | | | and interest. The boys of Bruce Arena will |
| have already won the World Cup five times and | | | | have their opportunity now inside the German |
| are the most successful team in the | | | | stadiums. |
| competition's history. This year, legendary | | | | |