The U.S. men's national team couldn't ask for a better chance to capture the attention of its country for the World Cup, even if it was matched up against 9-foot tall aliens from the planet Socceralia.

Would Americans really get their collective bile up for footie-playing extraterrestrials like we'll see when the lads open the tournament against England on Saturday afternoon? The rallying cry didn't originate with, "Don't tread on me, Glyxelbop."

Americans enjoy tweaking the English, and if our national team can give a sports noogie to the people who invented the game, all the better. The best part, of course, is that not since the U.S. national team re-emerged as an international player at the 1990 World Cup has it been less ridiculous to think this country could beat England on soccer's biggest stage.

U.S. stars Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan have established themselves as forces in England's Premier League and Americans you might not have heard of -- Jose Torres, Stuart Holden, Herculez Gomez and several others -- provide talented depth and support for the stars. In other words, it's a true team, not just a few guys who are good playing with the soccer equivalent of their excited little brothers to round out the squad.

Yes, the U.S. is still the underdog, but the only category in which Americans lag behind the rest of the world is rabid support for the team. You'll want to help change that at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, because this is going to be fun.

Feel free to let fly with any shouts of joy or frustration -- even if the language isn't appropriate for polite company. Unleashing emotion is part of the experience, and besides, the players will have to bite their tongues. The referee and his assistants have been taking a crash course in English swear words. Brazilian referee Carlos Simon and his assistants for Saturday's match have been studying 20 swear words to listen for from the players.

Cursing the ref is frowned upon in soccer. Players risk a yellow card for going beyond "You so-and-so!" when addressing the referee, and if their mouths don't stop, their participation in the game will. Continuously crass treatment of the officials could get a player sent off for dissent.

Why would the players jump to question Carlos Simon's rulings during the game? The competitors, and everyone watching, have more than a few reasons. It'll be impossible to watch the U.S. vs. England without having a curt word or three for the referee. Simon's background is actually one of the game's silliest -- and most fun -- subplots. His home country's league suspended him last season after he was accused of bribery and incompetence, and in November the president of Brazilian team Palmeiras blasted Simon as "a crook, a scoundrel and a shameless bastard."

For the first time in 60 years, the United States will play England in the World Cup, and this highest of high-profile first-round matches will come under the control of a referee whose home league officially used the word "incompetence" when suspending him. Oh, and don't forget "bribery." World soccer governing body FIFA appoints the officials for these matches, and almost nothing FIFA does makes any sense.

Don't try to figure it out, and don't get too snooty about it either. We're the country of Tim Donaghy and Jim Joyce, after all.

And again, the U.S. is playing England, not the referee. If you're a novice, some names to watch out for are England's fullbacks Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson, defenders who often come up from the back to aid the attack.

Midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard will be a handful, even if the duo has never maximized its substantial talents while playing together for England. You'll hear about England's patchwork central defense, too, with disgraced former team captain John Terry having to work with aging or injury-addled partners. There's a soft spot the U.S. can target.

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