I have watched every single 2006 World Cup game that has been played so far. I cheered for all of my favorites and found some new ones. I was happy to see the Netherlands, Argentina and Mexico win. I celebrated my Dutch heritage after watching the orange seriously dominate with Robben, Van Persie, Ruud, all of them....just awesome!

Sanchez (Mexico) deserves the respect of the world for playing despite the sudden and tragic loss of his father. Ecuador has serious heart. I never cared about Trinidad until their game and now I think Hislop rocks! Drogba proved that one man sometimes can be a whole team, but you cannot win that way. Riquelme is a stud and reminds me of the way Pierson plays so he is now a new super-favorite of mine.

And what was the deal with the announcers beating up on one of my favorite players, Cristiano Ronaldo? Now I know he is young, has a temper and all that but he played very well in the game against Angola. And Akwa from Angola and his bicycle kicks were just awesome, I was hoping for a tie.

Germany may have won and come out swinging but they weren’t as impressive as I thought they would be. Kudos to Costa Rica for scoring 2 goals, and don’t even blame it on Ballack not playing....he is not that great. I swear I think Italy has a stylist and hair person who travels with them so that they can look good while playing beautifully. And why criticize England? They won. They won the field, the possession and the shots, everyone needs to breathe and just let them win, because they will. And by the way, Beckham was awesome so I guess everyone who keeps saying you can’t run after 30 should lay-off.

And on the heels of all of that excitement, I could not wait to see my guys...or as Pierson calls them, my boyfriends. The US Team is a good team, not the best team in the world but a very good team with a deep bench. I knew that the US v. Czech game would be difficult, but I thought if we lost I could live with 0-1. I really thought we would win or tie. Peter and I stood there and watched as the roster was released and I was stunned.

Bruce Arena decided to go with a new formation; Mc Bride as the only forward, with 5 midfielders. I think new formation and the World Cup in the same sentence is a bad idea. And worse than that, another one of my favorites, Clint Dempsey, was not starting. Now, I am willing to give a new formation a chance, but when it doesn’t work stop playing it. So when Bruce Arena decides to keep Dempsey out of the opening line-up, I assumed he would be an early 2^nd half sub.

(((Side note: Frankie Hedjuk, one of my favorites of all time, was badly injured just after making the USMNT team and was not be able to play the World Cup. A tragic loss to the back field, Frankie makes plays, saves goals and scores goals in addition to being a morale booster to the team. You were missed today Frankie.....maybe they should fly you in to sit on the bench and just rally the guys. )))

Dempsey never came in?!? Where was Landon Donovan, one of my personal favorites? I wouldn’t have believed he was even on the field if I hadn’t seen ‘21.’ Gooch played well, despite the unlucky clear. I love Reyna but he was not in the game today. And Convey is left in while Mastroeni is taken out on the subs? And I have no idea where Arena gets off criticizing DaMarcus Beasley who saved a goal and was played on the wrong side to begin with! Yet Wolf is applauded in the press conference....I just wonder about everything from the players to the coaches when I hear that. And-- Keller played well and deserves no harsh words.

So with a 3-0 loss, or beating to be precise....my heart is broken. I was hoping and expecting to see the heart of Trinidad and Mexico, the finesse of the Netherlands and the athleticism of Italy and Cote D’Ivoire. Where were the players I love to watch, the players I spend weekends watching in Columbus, the players I know are better than they played today? We are the first team in the World Cup to play well below our capabilities. I think that is the most disappointing part, not achieving our potential or even our current average abilities.

But I have hope. I believe they can rally and win against Ghana and Italy. Ghana is physical but we are too and our players play in the MLS for the most part which means they are used to being fouled by less professional players. Italy needs a rhythm and if we break it up and do not let it get started, Italy falls apart.

My only worry is that we seem to have lost heart......I do not know why. I hope Reyna and our other team leaders are able to kick everyone’s asses and get them in the game.

So, right now I am heartbroken. But I am willing to rally and will not miss a US game, so I hope my guys show up too!