A Guide For The Casual Soccer Fan

Leitch|published: Fri 2nd June, 12:00 2006

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So we know there are still a lot of stragglers around these parts either uninterested by the World Cup or intimidated by their lack of inherent knowledge of the proceedings. That's OK, of course: We are not a nation who grew up gathered around the radio listening to soccer games. We have some catching up to do.

If you're a casual fan who isn't sure where your rooting interests should like — outside of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" — and need a primer of loyalties, new soccer blogger The Reminder maps it out for you. Some highlights:

To Root Against:

• Argentina. "The Argentinians are basically the opposite of Brazil. They play tough and ugly, and have several players with ponytails." • Italy. "The Italians are the easiest to root against. Why? Italian soccer on a whole is boring. I'm not debating this, it's a fact."

To Root For

• African teams. "They have players you've never heard of, with sometimes hilariously funny names or nicknames (It's a translational thing). This year, the nations are generally small and poor, which makes it the month of a century for these people." • Iran. "Who doesn't want to see Iran-U.S.? Seriously. (Not going to happen, but hey)."

Confused About Who To Support? [The Reminder]