The Soccer Madness Continues

Like a lot of American's right now,  I'm hooked on the excitement of the World Cup. After surviving the so-called "group of death," the U.S. Men's Soccer team is scheduled to play Belgium today at 4 pm. Soccer may not be celebrated in the U.S. with nearly the same enthusiasm as it is in Europe, but  Americans are joining in on the fun this year more than ever.

But, will the U.S. be able to pull it off? Not if they aren't able to score, as has been the case lately. The team is ranked 31st out of 32 teams for number of attacks, and was severely out-shot after three group-stage games - a trend they cannot continue if they hope to survive the second round. The U.S. Men need to start playing aggressively the second the step out onto the field if they're going to stand a chance against a very talented Belgian team.

I'm excited to watch this team attempt to make it past the tournament's first knockout round - a feat they were not able to accomplish four years ago - losing to Ghana in OT. And I'm even more excited about the increasing support from American fans for a sport that "isn't popular in the U.S."

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports