Today was an inspiring day in the world of soccer. The United States played Italy in the World Cup, and desperately needed to play well to be able to move on to Round 2. Whatever words of advice coach Bruce Arena told them seemed to have worked. They were a different team from the one that played the Czech Republic on Monday. They went out fighting, and made our nation proud.

Brian McBride received an elbow to the face from Italian Daniele De Rossi, which split open his cheek, and required stitches to close. He had blood streaming down his face, but still managed to come back and play for the rest of the game. (De Rossi received the first red card of the game for that stunt.) Pablo Mastroeni, of the US, received a red card for a slide tackle. It was an unbelievable call on the ref’s part - a yellow card, perhaps, but certainly not the red that was given. Then, minutes into the second half, Eddie Pope received his second yellow card, which translated into a red card, and he was sent off the field. The United States was playing 2 players down, while Italy was playing down 1.

The United States gave everything they had, overcoming fatigue, exhaustion, and frustration to hold Italy to a 1-1 tie. DeMarcus Beasley scored a goal in the second half to put the US ahead 2-1, but unfortunately, McBride was offsides, and it was called back.

Despite a horrible ref, injuries, and playing 2 men down, the US managed to hold on to their tie, and show the world that they know how to play soccer. They made us proud.

As a side note: another inspiring moment of the day was team Ghana. They managed to beat the Czech Republic, 2-0. Ghana played with heart, and it was an exciting game to watch. Hopefully the US will be able to hang onto their momentum and beat Ghana on Thursday, when the two teams meet.

Yesterday the US team debuted against the Czech Republic in the World Cup. Unfortuantely, we lost, 0-3. We looked a bit sluggish at times - not at all the team the world was expecting to see. I’m hoping that we will do well against Italy and Ghana, and be able to move on past the first round.

The US team is comprised of such great talent - from DeMarcus Beasley to Landon Donovan - we just need to have them, and the rest of the team, play up to their potential. Both Beasley and Donovan didn’t seem to do much of anything during the game. I think the best piece of advice Bruce Arena gave was to simply put this game behind them, and focus on the next games. The US plays Italy this Saturday at 3pm et. I’ve got the TiVo up and ready for the game. In fact my husband and I are having Dish Network installed this Friday so we can get ESPN HD to watch the rest of the World Cup.

My one frustration with the United States is the lack of enthusiasm in regards to the World Cup. Throughout the rest of the world, it is a HUGE event, but here, no one seems to care, or even talk about it. Local channels are only broadcasting a few games (like 5 or 6) out of well over 50 games. It’s quite frustrating. Hence the reason we’re installing the satellite dish. Soccer (or football, as it’s known throughout the rest of the world) is the world’s most popular sport, by far. It eclipses the popularity of American football and baseball. The athleticism and talent required by the players is awe-inspiring, and incredible to watch.

I grew up playing select soccer in California, and loved every minute of it. (Ok, so maybe practices weren’t as fun as games, and I did blow out my ACL at age 16, but still…) I’m currently looking for an adult co-ed league my husband and I and some friends can join, but there isn’t much in Salt Lake City, or even Utah for that matter. I don’t want to play indoor, either - I love playing outside. My hopes every time the World Cup comes around is that it will ignite the soccer spirit here in the States, and more and more people will become interested.

One bit of interesting information is that one of the world’s greatest teams, Real Madrid (David Beckham’s very own team) is coming to Salt Lake City on August 12 to play Real Salt Lake. I’m hoping this also will draw more interest to soccer here in Utah. One can always hope.

The news yesterday of the death of al-zarqawi was quite welcome, and I have to say, somewhat unexpected. I think the most important aspect of this, other than ridding the world of a bloodthirsty killer, is the fact that it is such a morale boost to the world, and most importantly, to the troops fighting in Iraq.

I understand that this is not a popular war, but it is accomplishing some great things. The most significant accomplishment is freeing the people of Iraq from the grips of Saddam Hussein, another bloodthirsty man. The troops stationed abroad are risking their lives, and some are even giving them up, to make Iraq, and the world, a better place.

I am a very patriotic US citizen - my brother is a Marine, and I completely support him, and the other troops stationed around the world. My brother is in the reserves, so he is able to go to school and work on his career, all the while being ready when he is needed. I am so proud of him, and the others serving in the armed forces. Because of them, we have been able to make the world a better place, by snuffing out one terrorist at a time.

al-Zarqawi was a man blinded by a mislead passion that lead to his downfall and eventual death. He deserves what he got - especially considering those that he tortured and killed. He now has to meet his maker and explain his actions. I’m sure he’s beginning to realize he’s not getting the 77 virgins he was hoping for. Instead, he may be getting 77 lashes…to start out with. I almost feel sorry for him, but then I remember all the horrible things he has done. Justice will be served. For a more detailed article on al-zarqawi, click here.

This week, my husband and I have been in Chicago staying at the Hyatt Regency. He’ s been attending the Internet Retailer Convention here at the hotel. I have to say, before we got here, I didn’t really know what to expect. I love it! It is beautiful and a lot of fun. Last night we went and saw the Blue Man group. It was fun - kind of quirky, but entertaining. Today, I went by myself to see Wicked, the Broadway show. It was absolutely wonderful! Even though I was by myself, and sitting among a group of 8th graders, I had a great time. Tonight, we went to a White Sox game, and it was so much fun. They played the Detroit Tigers and won, 4-3. I bought a cute pink White Sox baseball cap for myself, and a mini baseball bat for my brother. Oh, and I can’t forget - I went to the American Girl’s Place - the original one. (There are currently 3 - the one in Chicago is the original, one in New York, and one in Los Angeles.) If you don’t know what it is, they make beautiful dolls. My younger sister has two, and loves them.

I think what I love about Chicago is how many things there are to do in the city. From theater to baseball games to shopping, it is so much fun. My husband wants to buy a condo downtown on the river - they start in the low $300,000’s. While that may seem expensive to someone in Utah, it seems very reasonable to me, having grown up in California. Tomorrow we fly back home, but I’m hoping to come back soon. 3 1/2 days was not nearly enough time here.

So today, I’m out of a car. We just purchased a 2006 Honda Accord last week, but the speedometer was having issues, so it’s in the shop. It’s kept showing “zero mph” even though it was going well above 80. So the Honda dealership is trying to figure out what’s going on with it. Now, normally I’m totally patient, and feel like, ok, no big deal.

But the other car we have is a 2003 Audi A4. Enough said. That car, while a lot of fun to drive (it’s a manual transmission, of course) has been in the shop almost as much as it’s been out. Yeah. Last week, we had to have the window repaired. (It wouldn’t roll back up.) The week before, the clutch and flywheel had to be replaced. Ouch. It’s had issues. I have to say, though, it’s so much fun to drive, it almost makes it worth it. Almost. It’s still a pain to be out of a car, but luckily, I’m not working right now, so it’s not a huge deal. Except when I want to go shopping or go to the gym, that makes it hard.

We had good experiences with Honda in the past (my first car was a 2000 Honda Civic, brand new), so I’m hoping the speedometer problem is just a fluke, and not a sign of things to come. We’ll see…we bought a Honda because it’s reliable. We bought an Audi because it’s fun. We’ll see where we end up. Hmm…

Last night my husband and I went to see The Powerless play down in Provo, and they put on a great show! Their music is unique, and they have a great cd out, “Disappointment.” They are awesome live, which is a lot more than I can say about some mainstream bands. They’re a talented band that is fun to listen to. I understand that Tool is one of their inspirations. If you’re in the area, I recommend checking them out. Pick up a copy of their cd - they won’t disappoint.

One of my favorite songs is Screwtape - they played that one last night, and it was great. If you want to check them out, they have an upcoming cd release show at Velour (135 N. University Ave in Provo) on June 24. Check out their website here.