World Cup -- The International Pastime Arrives

June 8, 2006 — -- Does the United States have any chance of making it past early-round competition when the 18th World Cup kicks off Friday? That's a question many fans and sports writers are asking as host country Germany gears up to play Costa Rica in the first round.

The overwhelming favorite this year is the current champion team from Brazil, with 11-to-5 odds given by Las Vegas casinos. England, Italy, Argentina and Germany are right on Brazil's heels.

But how will the United States factor in with these heavily favored teams?

Team USA coach Bruce Arena -- whose team is the joint 12th favorite with Mexico at 40-to-1 -- is certainly optimistic. "I'm pretty successful at what I do," Arena told The New York Times. "We are one of the most competitive, with the best spirit, the fittest, and with some of the best athletes."

Truth be told, even though the United States is clearly not a favorite, the team has been steadily improving each year and it is expected that it won't go down without a solid fight. Burly forward Brian McBride says the team is ready to play. "We have to be prepared mentally and physically. We've been together a while now -- we put a lot of hard work in."

Team USA now has the respect of its European counterparts, after reaching the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup, which was co-hosted by Japan and Korea, beating Portugal and Mexico along the way. Anything less in Germany would be regarded as a disappointment.

The Americans have to be tough coming out of the gate -- their campaign opens against the Czech Republic on Monday, and they face Italy five days later.

If they make it through these early matches, it wouldn't be the first time the U.S. team has shocked soccer's royalty. One of the most famous results in the history of the sport saw a part-time American team defeat England's superstars at the 1950 World Cup.

In the same way the Olympics reflect a sense of national pride among competing countries, the World Cup is about more than sport.