here, then, is a letter I have emailed to a couple British web sites:

I am someone who considers myself a proud member of the �Soccer Culture� that, at least as bitter European journalists would see it, doesn�t exist in this country. I would agree whole-heartedly with the greater European feeling that we are generally arrogant and ignorant when it comes to geo-political affairs as a whole, and we have a backwards red-neck (Bush) running the country right now.

But that is not my point. My point is that, as an American �soccer� (I honestly don�t know whether to us �soccer� or football in this diatribe!) fan and player � supposedly lacking in sophistication and seasoning of the World�s game�how is it that even I know of a fundamental rule of football tactics: You do not sit on a one-goal lead! And the Italians don�t????

I have played most of my years on this planet, starting at eight, at various levels of seriousness and recreation. I feel like I have become learned enough about a game which is deceptively simple, despite nearly everyone�s involved efforts to complicate things as much as possible. I can think of few strategies more fraught with risk that �sitting� on a one-goal lead wherein, despite the staunchest defense, one only stand one unlucky bounce or missed call from blowing it.

Perhaps I could volunteer to coach the Italians? I�m sure I could make more use of their formidable skill, and perhaps introduce an attacking scheme to better make use of it, and perhaps score some goals to ensure victory in the late stages of games.

When you live by the sword, you die by the sword, and few teams in recent International history have made more use of histrionic embellishments, shirt pulling, referee abuse, and the like than the Azzurri. Totti�s fall in the penalty area was not nearly the worst penalty-box flop I have seen in this tournament so far, and while I will admit to feeling outraged at the time of the call, since then I have come to see it as a quaint form of justice. Beyond that, what is so horrible about seeing the scrappy, passionate Koreans through to the quarterfinals. In this bizarre hierarchy of teams that �deserve� to win (an odd notion usually only applying to pre-tournament favorites) surely a host nation which has shown such a fervor for their team is acceptable.

But, then again, what would an American know about the Beautiful game, especially in light of the vast success we are seeing from the top sides across the Pond (like France and Portugal). To hear from the overly-negative football journalists something other than knee-jerk anti-American sentiment would absolutely warm my heart. You all should know by now that it is folly to underestimate Americans, and if you will excuse me a brief show of patriotism/jingoism, our Heroes have helped saved freedom�s ass more than a few times.

Oh, and by the way, in my pre-tournament predictions bracket, I had England beating Brazil in the quarters� I have since changed that. Respect is a two way street, gentlemen.