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World Cup: Why You Should Root for the U.S.

While the din of the vuvuzela might render you deaf this World iphone 4g Cup, there's another iphone 4g noise that as an American, you should find just as irksome. No, it's not the sound of ESPN's regulars attempting to call a game iphone 4g (JP Dellacamera, anyone?). It's the declaration iphone 4g that comes along every iphone 4g four years by many people in iphone 4g this country, whether they're sports fans or iphone 4g iphone 4g not, that the U.S. will get trounced. Naturally, this perpetual proclamation makes many Americans jump ship to join the cheering squad of another, iphone 4g more iphone 4g reputable team. If rooting iphone 4g for the US is not in the cards because you iphone 4g think the iphone 4g iphone 4g team's chances of doing well iphone 4g are slim, as longtime soccer iphone 4g players and fans, let us disavow you of this notion. First iphone 4g of all, the Yanks are good. iphone 4g Are we the best in the world? No, but our chances at going far (quarterfinals) are not as much of a long iphone 4g shot as many would expect. Our defense rests on the inconsistent Oguchi iphone 4g Onyewu, but fans should have no problem cheering for our relatively well-stacked strikers, Jose Altidore and Clint Demspey, the latter of which has a fantastically stubborn/bring-it-on American attitude iphone 4g that often sparks contention on the field. There's also Landon Donovan, our fearless, intense, iphone 4g super-fast captain, who if used correctly is easily the US's most dangerous weapon. He's also seen first-hand the team's potential. He was on iphone 4g the squad in 2002 when we broke iphone 4g through to the quarterfinals. And he captained the Yanks last year at iphone 4g the Confederations iphone 4g Cup, when we beat number one-ranked Spain and iphone 4g went up two goals against soccer powerhouse, Brazil, iphone 4g who later came back to win the final. Perhaps the most telling sign of why we're a team to beat was the frustration in Donovan's voice when iphone 4g he said in a post-game interview, "we are at the point where we don't want respect. We iphone 4g want to win." Second, this is the World Cup. While professional leagues allow players to drift from iphone 4g one high-paying contract to another, this tournament of tournaments signals a moment in the sporting iphone 4g iphone 4g world when something much more valuable than money is on the table: national pride. Too many Americans have iphone 4g the motivation to iphone 4g cheer for the home teams of iphone 4g the players they follow the rest of the iphone 4g year in European professional leagues like the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga. This iphone 4g can almost be forgiven, considering the growth in soccer's popularity in this country partly coincides with iphone 4g our growing television iphone 4g access to iphone 4g said European leagues over the past ten years. That said, being a Manchester iphone 4g United fan does not necessitate rooting iphone 4g for iphone 4g England on Saturday because it's enjoyable watching Wayne Rooney score goals. As iphone 4g an American, cheering for your country has a greater iphone 4g significance iphone 4g than simply loving the game and those iphone 4g who iphone 4g play it well. Showing your iphone 4g pride for America means expressing to the world exactly what makes iphone 4g this country great: opportunity. iphone 4g Sure, we may still be toddlers in the world of soccer, but in iphone 4g the world of sports, the US is truly a land of opportunity for iphone 4g athletes of all ilk. iphone 4g Whereas iphone 4g most European countries pluck players as iphone 4g young as iphone 4g seven years old to enter only into professional soccer, iphone 4g the US has a strong structure of youth leagues in sports ranging iphone 4g from tennis iphone 4g to swimming to baseball and football. Hence the reason why we dominate in so many sports. Where iphone 4g else iphone 4g but here could one country boast athletes the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Aaron Rodgers and Lebron James? Not to mention the fact iphone 4g that our women's basketball, softball and soccer teams are habitually ranked among iphone 4g the best in iphone 4g the world (thanks, Title iphone 4g IX!). iphone 4g Even Kelly Smith, one of England's (yes, England) best female soccer players was able to hone her iphone 4g skills at Seton Hall, a Division I school in New Jersey thanks to the fact that US colleges provide the opportunity for women to excel just iphone 4g as much iphone 4g as men. The national iphone 4g team representing our country in South Africa is good, not only because of their skill and entirely American determination to win, but because they were iphone 4g also given the opportunity to iphone 4g do anything they wanted, iphone 4g and they chose to play soccer for the U.S. As they take the field against England today, remember the gravity of the stage and that the eleven men on our side are playing iphone 4g for more than just the win, they're playing for national pride. Honor them with your support.