Australia vs. the US Men's National Team: On Saturday, My Head Will Explode

With only a week left before the Republic of South and Africa and Mexico officially kick off the 2010 World Cup, teams and fans are scrambling with last minute preparations. On Saturday, two of my favorite national teams face off in their final preparation match: Australia and the United States (alphabetical order, for your information). My loyalties will be tested, and in the end, I think I'll be cheering for no one to get injured.

I was born in America, but my father shared his passion for all things Australian with me growing up. When my father died, I was left with an interest in and an undying curiosity for the Land Down Under. So when I graduated from college and it came time to make my way in the world, what did I do? Well, when the going gets tough, the tough go to grad school. And I went to grad school in Australia.

Truth be told, Australia and the United States have more in common than you may first think. Both are countries based on a fierce sense of egalitarianism and self determination. In terms of soccer, both are countries in which the Beautiful Game is a popular afterthought, placed behind two or three mainstream sports. And both are emerging soccer powers who rely on an "ugly," scrappy game patched together with a few international class players.

So when the Yanks meet the Socceroos on Saturday (8:30 a.m. EDT, ESPN 2), I'll be cheering for both teams to get past their pregame jitters and work through the kinks in their strategies. I want both of these teams to do well and I damn well hope they'll get out of their respective groups by the end of June.

But heaven forbid one of them wins their group and the other places second. That would set up a Round of 16 match between them ... and that's something I don't know if I could handle.

Australia vs. United States, Pre-World Cup Friendly, Live from Ruimsig Stadium in Roodepoort, South Africa, 8:30 a.m. EDT on ESPN 2 and ESPN 2 HD