FIFA will host the final draw for the 2006 World Cup on Friday in Leipzig, Germany, and MLS clubs and players are helping to spread the excitement throughout the United States.
The U.S. national team will learn which three teams they face in the group stage of the tournament when the 32 participating nations will be split into eight groups for first-round action. ESPN2 will cover the event from 3-4 p.m. ET, giving U.S. fans a chance to follow all the action live as it unfolds.
Cobi Jones, a key member of the Los Angeles Galaxy's 2005 MLS Cup championship side and veteran of three World Cups (1994, '98, '02), will be in Leipzig to participate in the draw. World Cup veterans Eric Wynalda and Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids) will provide analysis on ESPN2, ESPNews and ESPN Deportes. U.S. national team head coach Bruce Arena is also expected to be interviewed during the draw coverage.
Those looking for a communal viewing experience can head to watch parties which will be hosted by the Columbus Crew (Crew Stadium Huntington Club), Real Salt Lake (RSL offices located on the 2nd floor of Trolley Corners at 515 South 700 East) and Chivas USA (La Huasteca, Lynwood, Calif.). Fans in the New York area can head to the adidas store in Manhattan to take part in the World Cup ball launch festivities with New England Revolution stars and World Cup hopefuls Steve Ralston and Pat Noonan. The pair will mingle and sign autographs for fans (3-4 p.m. ET) as they unveil a giant adidas World Cup ball and await the U.S. team's fate for next June's tournament.
But the excitement doesn't end at the completion of the draw. Instead, World Cup fever will spread throughout the weekend and beyond. Ralston and Noonan will be joined by Kansas City Wizards and U.S. national team defender Jimmy Conrad in Times Square in New York early Sunday morning (6-9 a.m. ET) for a photo opportunity which will feature 300 young soccer players honing their skills in the Manhattan streets. And yes, traffic will be blocked off.
Ralston and Noonan will wrap up their whirlwind tour through Manhattan on Monday as guests for a segment on the CBS Early Show, where they will discuss the U.S. draw and what fans can expect from the World Cup. The two will follow that up with an appearance on The Tony Danza Show.
Arena is expected to announce the player pool that he will call into a camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., shortly after the draw, which is expected to be made up almost exclusively of domestic-based players. The Americans will take on northern neighbors Canada in the first game of 2006, set for Jan. 22 in San Diego, Calif., at 8 p.m. ET. Television information for the match has yet to be announced.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
