World Cup Fever

World Cup fever begins Thursday in Brazil. It is not an event that attracts a lot of American followers unless they have a senitmental attachment to a particular country.

For example, here in New Bedford, I'm sure a lot of folks with Brazilian backrounds will be cheering on players from their native land and of course, the Portuguese team has a large following locally with many bars and pubs filled to capacity when their native teams are playing.

Americans don't have quite the same felling for their team. Although I'm sure they'd like them to win, the outlook is not good as they are playing in a tough division and have to go up against Powerhouses like Portugal, Brazil and Ghana in the opening round.

Even the USA coach doesn't give them much of a chance. Many Americans criticize the game for its lack of scoring but you could the same about a 1-0 NHL Hockey game.

So it's the time of the year to brush up on your soccer and enjoy the game for what it is, an international sport that most Americans could care less about.