We’re eight days away from the opening ceremonies of the World Cup, which begins next Friday when tournament host South Africa takes the pitch against Mexico. Their opening coin toss kicks off a solid month of soccer that won’t end until one country’s profusely sweating captain is holding a thirteen-pound gold trophy over his head. I’m less familiar with soccer than I am with cold fusion or full-time employment, but I’m still reasonably sure that America isn’t winning.

Since Team USA will be leaving Johannesburg with the international equivalent of “Participant” ribbons, I’ve been looking for another team to follow for ninety-minute increments. After hearing coach Diego Maradona announce that he would run naked through the streets of Buenos Aires if his team takes the championship, I immediately scratched Argentina off the list. Although his playing career made him legendary, he’s spent the past two decades looking like the “Before” pictures in those P90x commercials. Fortunately for Argentina’s collective retinas and gag reflexes, Maradona’s schizophrenic strategies and two-line coaching resume don’t exactly guarantee a World Cup win.

–This week for NBC Sports - Out of Bounds, we talk about Argentina’s formerly cocaine-addled, currently unhinged coach, the legendary Diego Maradona.

If you read it, leave a comment or drop me a note or otherwise let me know what you think.  I CRAVE YOUR ACCEPTANCE.

• Tags
• nbc sports
• out of bounds
• world cup
• argentina
• soccer
• football
• diego maradona
• team usa