Are you ready for some football?College football has some huge matchups this weekend with No. 3 USC traveling to face No. 8 Ohio State and the No. 18 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame going to the Big House to take on Michigan.These two big games coupled, with the NFL’s season opener Thursday, are enough to raise the pulse of most football fans. But just because American football is now about to be in full swing, let’s not forget the other kind of football that captivated fans during the summer.The United States Men’s National Soccer team shocked the international soccer world in June by knocking off the then-No. 1 team in the world, Spain, in the Confederations Cup semifinals.That upset created a huge buzz among many sports fans during the low period in the sports year — also known as midsummer baseball. The win was even so impressive it led some fans to believe our country had finally arrived as a major player on the world scene.It was not to be, however, as Brazil defeated the U.S., 3-2. in the Confederations Cup final despite holding a 2-0 halftime lead.Since then, the love fest for the national team has died down, and soccer has been relegated back to its status as a sport perpetually on the periphery of the average American’s sports consciousness.But America has still been playing pretty good soccer, and more people should recognize it.The Red, White and Blue traveled to Estadio Azteca and lost a hard-fought match to Mexico in August in front of a truly hostile crowd that showered forward Landon Donovan with all sorts of liquids on a corner kick attempt. The U.S. also defeated El Salvador, 2-1, this past weekend in Sandy, Utah.And now the U.S. has another very important match on the horizon.The U.S. has a 2010 World Cup qualifying match against Trinidad & Tobago tonight — a match that may be a huge determining factor in whether the Yanks qualify for soccer’s most prestigious tournament.Not making the World Cup would be a major disappointment for the States, who are currently fielding what some consider the best American squad ever.With the standings so tight at the top of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) region, the game tonight is as close as a must-win game for the United States could be without actually being a must win.In soccer standings, three points are given for a win and one for a draw. Both the Yanks and Honduras have 13 points in the standings.But America sits at second place in the region standings based on their goal differential.Honduras has 14 goals for, with seven against, and the United States has 13 goals for with nine against.Costa Rica and Mexico are both tied with 12 points each in the standings with Mexico leading because of goal differential.All the teams have three games left including the ones this week, which means a draw for the U.S. against Trinidad & Tobago wouldn’t eliminate the U.S. from tournament contention.But a win, on the other hand, gives the Yanks a little breathing room between them and the No. 3 and No. 4 teams, especially because America has a game against Honduras on the horizon, and could catapult them into first place.Only the top three teams in the region secure an automatic berth into the World Cup.The most hardcore members of Sam’s Army shouldn’t be the only ones paying attention to the U.S. throughout its upcoming matches.These upcoming matches are all important games, and it’s always an exciting time anyway. They will show you why soccer is truly called “the beautiful game.” And if you’re lucky, you might even get to see forwards Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies do the “Stanky Leg,” after a goal. And that’s just funny.Johanathan Brooks is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Powder Springs, Ga. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_jbrooks.————Conact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]