One of the things I love about being here in Honduras is watching soccer! Talk about passion and national pride. This past Wednesday, I joined a group of friends at Tony Roma's restaurant to watch the Honduras vs. Mexico World Cup qualifying game. Inside the restaurant they had set up three large screen televisions in addition to the already 15-20 televisions already inside. Outside they had blocked off a big section of the parking lot and set up a huge big screen and a patio-like area to accommodate more people. And this is just a qualifier! I can only imagine what it will be like if Honduras actually qualifies for the World Cup. When the national team plays, it seems that everyone (even those who care little for sports in general) are interested and involved. I have a friend here, Gina, who has no interest at all in soccer, but when the national team plays she wears her jersey all day and can't wait for the game to start. Wednesday, she was on the edge of her seat, banging on the table, oohing and ahhing every kick, and her attention was glued to the game. You see this type of passion in pockets in the US. College football in states like Alabama, Texas, and Ohio, pro football in cities like Pittsburgh and Boston, college basketball in places like tobacco road in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Indiana. But there is something different about "futbol" here in Honduras and other Latin American countries. That sense of national pride is more intense than anything else I've ever seen. It is fun to be around and contagious. I hope Honduras can qualify for the World Cup in 2010. It would be a real treat to be around to see it.