Today In Soccer...

• Your World Cup Togo Update: The Togoans, or Togoites, or Togolese players, whatever it is that they're called, are demanding 155,000 euros each to even play in the tournament, plus 30,000 euros for each win and 15,000 for each draw. The government says "No, we're poor, and you suck." It might turn out to be not much of an issue, seeing that the Togs barely eeked out a 1-0 victory over Lichtenstein yesterday. No agreement has been reached about the bonuses, but they're working on it.

• America's first opponent in the World Cup, the Czech Republic, hammered Trinidad & Tobago earlier today. Jan Koller had two goals and assisted on a third. Now would be a good time to start working up that lather of hatred from Jan Koller. Just for comparison's sake, the last two times the United States has played T&T, they've won 2-1, and 1-0.

• England's manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, has named Peter Crouch as a starter for England's opening game against Paraguay. And it makes sense, considering that Crouch had a hat trick today in England's final warm-up, a 6-0 ghetto-stomping of Jamaica. Michael Owen also had a goal in his first full 90 minute game of the year. And we've still got quite a ways to go to heal Wayne Rooney's foot.

• And, finally, your hooliganism update: The Germans want to beat the hell out of the Poles. Last November, when the two teams played a friendly, 46 Polish hooligans took on 38 German hooligans, and the Poles just whooped some ass. And, as bad of a person as it makes me, if the rematch was televised, I'd watch it, and if Vegas had odds on it, I'd put some money down on the Poles. I hope there's at least a reporter there to tell us who wins.