So when the USA sends its best players to play against another nation's best, things are a little different.
Re your post 89, yes, I do understand “nationalism” as being the driving force in the popularity of the game and I hinted as such when I wrote “What is this odd attraction to soccer on the part of those in other countries other than their team winning?” What continues to baffle me is that these peoples find this low-scoring, oddly-structured (i.e., no use of one’s hands, unlike any other athletic endeavor) sport interesting. This I will take to my grave, it’s simply beyond my comprehension.