I had the great good fortune to have todays Trinidad & Tobago vs. Sweden match as my introduction to World Cup futbol.

I say futbol, because "soccer" will, in my mind, forever be associated with "soccer moms."

Those who follow footie are well aware that Sweden was heavily favored in this match. Before the tournament began (and of course, everything changes once the ball hits the turf) the odds were 44 to 1 against for the Swedes to win it all, it was 2001 to 1. I'm not gonna go into how the tournament is played, y'all can do y'own damn Googlin' an' shit.

Nonetheless, watching the last thirty minutes of that match was thrilling, even heart-stopping. And it was a zero-zero freakin' tie!

And what pressure it was, as the Swedes dominated play, taking 18 shots to six for Trinidad and Tobago, and taking eight corner kicks to only one for the Trinidad and Tobago.

SHAKAAAAAA!!! SHAKA SHAKA SHAKA SHAKAAAAAAAAAA! T&T's goalkeeper, played with the 1988 Howard University side that made the NCAA finals. Last minute substitution when the starter suffered a last minute injury. Was. A. WALL:

T&T goalkeeper Shaka Hislop was the man of the hour, making several fantastic saves to help his side earn a point in its first-ever World Cup match. Hislop wasn't even supposed to be on the field, but a last-minute injury in the warm-up to Kelvin Jack opened the door for the former Howard University star.

And then there were the things outside the play itself-- sportsmanship exhibited when a T&T player patted the head of a Swede after a hard fought duel in front of the goal; a Swede's concern when his tackle injured a T&T player... the fans in the stands, folk of every color (a Swedish fan with a blue and gold face; the group of T&T fans clearly delirious with joy)--

They call it "the beautiful game."

Today's match, today's 0-0 tie-- a score guaranteed to make most Americans yawn-- this match was just simply beautiful.