Well, I waited all day for our soccer expert to post something here but, alas, you’re stuck with me – someone who watches soccer only in support of the United States.

I even went to XL Soccer World in Raleigh to watch the U.S. match against Slovenia and I enjoyed the atmosphere. I might not know a lot about soccer but as soon as Slovenia scored first, I told the person next to me, “oh well, this is going to be another tie.”

I admit that I thought it would be a 1-1 tie but it did end in a 2-2 tie, a scoring bonanza by World Cup soccer terms. And it should have been a 3-2 U.S. victory save for a referee who nullified the goal for no apparent reason. A Sporting News article posted at 11:15 p.m. says, “It’s still unclear why (Referee Koman) Coulibaly disallowed Maurice Edu’s 86th-minute strike, which could have given the U.S. a remarkable victory.”

The official is likely to be barred from the rest of the World Cup, Yahoo Sports is reporting. Within the first 10 minutes of the game, my unknowledgeable self was spouting off about how that referee was terrible. Even I could tell. Unfortunately, it cost the U.S. team a victory. Of course the U.S. has got to stop getting behind early.

As for the events at XL Soccer World, I must say that the Cary-based Railhawks soccer team is really trying hard to promote itself. Dozens of kids in soccer camp and several of us big kids were treated to the Railhawks mascot and giveaways and an appearance by one of the key Railhawks players.

While I’m not really interested in the Railhawks, and I’m not real fond of the club’s efforts to attract Spanish-speaking-only illegal aliens, I admire their enthusiasm and hard work. I wish them well in getting American citizens interested in their product. How the U.S. team does in the World Cup will undoubtedly affect the interest in the Railhawks and all soccer-related businesses in the area. And they know it.

Those who like to talk about sports and support local sports teams have been joining the Raleigh Sports Club for years now – with the club having grown from a handful of people to more than 400 today. But perhaps the biggest selling point is the wide variety of well-known speakers.

The club, which has hosted notable sports figures such as baseball hall of famer Stan Musial and basketball analyst Dick Vitale, has already lined up NC State football coach Tom O’Brien, NC State basketball coach Sidney Lowe, new ECU basketball coach and former UNC star Jeff Lebo and Duke football coach David Cutcliffe for this fall.

The club is making a pitch for UNC coaches Roy Williams and Butch Davis too. But frankly some of the best insider information they hear comes from lesser known speakers who are experts in recruiting or are sportswriters or broadcasters. They are less guarded and don’t have to worry about quotes inspiring opponents.

Lunch meetings are held at Highland United Methodist Church at 1901 Ridge Road in Raleigh. For more information, go to the Raleigh Sports Club Web site. Take a look at the big names that have spoken to the club over the years by clicking here.

Dan Wiederer of The Fayetteville Observer is one of the best young reporters on ACC basketball and just did a book, “Blue Streak,” on UNC’s championship season. There’s a terrific excerpt from book about the “relationship” between Bobby Frasor and ESPN’s Erin Andrews.

Here’s the link from ACCSports.com.

An overlooked outlet for sports in Wake County is racin’ on Friday nights at the Wake County Speedway. I have lived in the area for more than 20 years and threatened to go dozens of times – and finally did so last Friday night. And, I’m going back again.

I probably still would not have gone had my son not been a fan of Lighting McQueen – the animated movie car. I knew he’d love it. He did enjoy the racing (and the snow cone) but he was getting tired because the finals in each division didn’t even start until his bedtime. So, we missed the wild finale race. Luckily, some newspapers still cover local racing and I got a good review of the evening from The Herald newspaper – click here to read it.

The atmosphere was true blue traditional America, complete with a prayer and the singing of the national anthem prior to the racing (plus, a family friendly area where there is no alcohol or profanity allowed). We sat in regular seating and weren’t bothered – except for a whiff of tobacco smoke every now and then.

In a time of globalization dominance and politically correct celebrations of diversity of other cultures which have recently come to the area, it is nice to see a throwback night of good ole Southern culture racing at Wake County Speedway, now in its 48th consecutive year.

It’s an inexpensive night of entertainment – especially if you take advantage of the buy-one-get-one-free coupon on the Wake County Speedway Web site. Military personnel get discounts, kids five and under are always free, and children 12 and under are free with a five-dollar-off coupon on the Web site. You can even bring in a small cooler, filled with food and drink. Try it out.

The next sporting event I’ve threatened to attend, but never have, is flat-track women’s Roller Derby. When I get around to it, I’ll let you know what I think of that.

The big story in college sports in recent days has been expansion, and ESPN clearly missed on this one Monday. The WWL’s Joe Schad reported that four schools, including Texas, were leaving for the Pac-10, which already had grabbed Colorado from the league.

“The departure of Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Pac-10 is imminent, four sources within the Big 12 said Monday,” ESPN reported.

“One source said commissioner Dan Beebe’s last-minute plan to save the conference has ‘zero’ chance to succeed. Another source said it is ‘very unlikely’ to succeed.”

Time for ESPN to get a new source, as Beebe had a better than zero chance after all. Later Monday, the Big 12 … er, 10? … announced that Texas and nine other schools were staying.

Capital Sports colleague Cliff Barnes touched on this in his comment about Brian Abernethy’s blog entry, but it bears repeating. If the score in most World Cup matches remains at or near nil, so, too, will the interest of the everyday American sports fan. Doesn’t matter who’s playing if the final score is zilch-zilch.

It’s different when the U.S. is playing, or, say, the Americans need Slovenia to tie the Brits (we might need to brush up on Slovenian dances later in group play). But when France and Uruguay tie, at zero, after 90-plus minutes, I’m seeking another can of Coke Zero or another segment of Colin Cowherd.

And I’m a soccer fan. I played as a kid, and I play now. But give me 6-5 in the Stanley Cup playoffs any day over nil-nil. And if I feel this way, imagine what a letdown all that scorelessness is for Andres Cantor.

Brian Abernethy is blogging on the World Cup for the Capital Sports Report

Rising from relative obscurity to the international soccer limelight in just a few short years, the United States men’s national soccer team now looks forward to its Saturday match against England with excitement rather than anxiety.

Falling victim to the ever-growing shadows of the NFL, MLB, NBA and college sports, United States soccer has had to battle adversity not only against its opponents on the pitch, but also vying for attention in the media. The lack of media attention and reward for their successes has made it very difficult for the Americans to continue to push themselves to succeed on behalf of the red, white, and blue.

When difficult victories are had in qualifying over smaller nations such as El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica, the nation feels ashamed that we haven’t demolished the opposition and therefore assumes that our team aren’t any good and aren’t worth supporting. The problem with this assumption is that, unlike the olympics, smaller nations are no longer obsolete in their experience and talent in soccer. Having soccer as their national sport, they prove to be difficult opponents for not only our national team, but national teams across the world. So how will a team that struggles with the Guatemalas and Trinidads step onto the field this month in South Africa and not only compete with, but get results against the likes of England, Slovenia, and Algeria?

The answer lies not in our players, our coach, our opponents, or our experience.

The answer lies in our heart.

Considered a “second-rate footballing nation” by the rest of the planet, we’ve proven time and time again that while we may not have the talent, we certainly have the heart.

Not convinced yet? Check out these results from the last year:

USA 3-0 Egypt: Needing a 3-0 victory as well as help from Brazil, the US did its part with a comprehensive smashing of African champion Egypt on goals from Davies, Bradley, and the all-important diving header from Clint Dempsey.

USA 2-0 Spain (Confederations Cup Semifinal): The biggest victory in the history of United States soccer. Spain was ranked #1 in the world, with the US barely squeaking into the semis. Goals from Altidore and Dempsey along with heroics from the backline and goalkeeper Tim Howard help the Americans shock the world.

USA 2-3 Brazil (Confederations Cup Final): Taking a 2-0 lead and watching it slip away has taught us a great lesson, and experiencing the pain of having victory snatched from our jaws will prove invaluable this month in South Africa

USA 2-2 El Salvador: US fights back and gets 2 goals in the last 10 minutes to salvage a draw and a crucial point on the road.

USA 2-1 Honduras: US goes down 1-0 early, but fights back as captain Carlos Bocanegra gets the game-winner in the second half.

USA 2-1 El Salvador: US again goes down 1-0 early, but grabs the lead before halftime on headers from superstars Altidore and Dempsey.

USA 3-2 Honduras: USA clinches their spot in the World Cup by going away to Honduras, where no team had won yet, and getting a victory.

USA 2-2 Costa Rica: After teammate and friend Charlie Davies is injured in a fatal car crash, Jonathan Bornstein heads in the equalizer from a Robbie Rogers corner in the 94th minute to make the US finish #1 in CONCACAF.

USA 2-1 Turkey: Falling behind 1-0 in the first half, the United States comes back and gets the victory via Altidore and Dempsey to secure a win in their final match in the USA before heading to South Africa.

These nine matches in the past 12 months where we proved that what skill we possess is supplemented by our heart and determination to give us results are no anomoly. Make no mistake, this team has what it takes to make a splash this summer.

The very same heart that gained us our Independence 234 years ago and makes this great nation what it is today will be worn on the sleeve of every American player for as long as they’re still breathing.

Open your eyes, England. You’re in for another surprise.

1776….1950….2010

One of the persistent rumors out there is that the Big Ten wants to add Maryland. But frankly, this isn’t going to happen.

First of all, Terps athletics director Debbie Yow recently told radio host David Glenn that the school isn’t moving.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a waste of time,” Yow told Glenn on the air. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Secondly, Maryland was a founding member of the ACC and benefits from being in the league. You’ll hear the Terps, and Gary Williams, groan about the ACC being too North Carolina-centric, but leaving for the Big Ten doesn’t solve any of Maryland’s problems. The Terps wouldn’t add any natural rivals, other than possibly Penn State, and would lose the traditional ties to ACC schools.

While it makes for interesting conjecture, it’s simply not going to happen.

N.C. State linebacker Nate Irving is almost 100 percent, he told WRAL’s Jason Jennings, and he can’t wait to return to the field.

Interesting note from Jennings’ piece – Irving loves to watch animals on the prowl.

“I’m just fascinated by animals and how lions, cheetahs and jaguars hunt. It’s intriguing to me,” Irving said.

Of course, State fans can’t wait to see Irving doing some hunting himself from the linebacker position.