As the 2006 World Cup gets underway, I find myself hoping that there’s something prophetic happening. I can’t imagine a better time for our first child to be growing and developing than during the greatest sporting event in the world. But the truth is, I live in fear that our child may not grow up to be a soccer player.

Now, I know that soccer is way more popular now than when I was a little kid, and so the likelihood is pretty strong, but I have this sense that there’s some kind of karma in operation that’s going to come back to bite me for not playing any of the sports that my family loved.

See, my dad was quarterback in high school, and my whole family plays tennis very well. Myself, I’ve really never played anything other than soccer. Sure, I’ve dabbled in other things during the off-season - one year of tee-ball, a few awful seasons of basketball, and even some track and field in high school. But the truth is that none of them have ever held a candle to my love for soccer.

I love this game. I understand this game. Meg and I both feel the same way. And so I live in terror that our kid will have the same regard for soccer that I’ve had for tennis. What can be done? How can I gently nudge him/her into a love of the game without blowing it? As I look back on my own experiences, it had everything to do with coaching. I’ve always had great soccer coaches. Anyway, here’s hoping for some soccer-loving offspring. Maybe I’ll name the kid “Striker.”