The 2006 World Cup begins Friday and to me, it feels like Christmas is coming. For the next month, some of the best soccer players on the planet will leave their club teams and represent their country. It’s like the Olympics, only it’s just one sport with higher stakes because when it comes to sport, soccer is the world’s common denominator. And no matter what the soccer-haters say, that includes the United States, which holds the No. 5 spot in the FIFA world rankings.

To me, you either get soccer or you don’t. It’s called “The Beautiful Game” for a reason. It’s not just what’s going on the pitch, it’s what’s happening in the hearts and minds of the people watching the games from the stands and via satellite thousands of miles away. For two hours, you can be part of a spectacle. For two hours, you can support your country or the country of the team playing the one you want to see lose. Or you can just sit back and take it all in—the fans, the players, the ebb and flow of the game.

For the next month, come hang out Online for the World Cup with me, an American who fell in love with the game watching soccer during late-summer vacations in London, and Nicholas Murray, a transplanted Englishman who is the biggest sports fanatic I know. We’ll give our takes on the tournament watching from pubs, restaurants and homes around the Tampa Bay area. If you’ve got a take on a game, you can share it with us. If you’ve got snacks and beverages and live close by, we might come watch a game with you!