A reading of Ridge Mahoney's story on the heavy burden the national team faces in 2009 (for the second time apparently; it took me a minute to realize I had already read the piece on socceramerica.com) led me to this post; not to review Mahoney's piece or to do a rundown of the potential 2010 team (let's qualify first), but to talk about how large 2009 is for the USMNT and American soccer on the whole.

The U.S. Men's National Team has at least 16 competitive matches scheduled for 2009, with an additional couple possible depending on how we do in the our two cup competitions (Gold and Confederations). While the year starts with a bit of a whimper (U.S. "B" or maybe even "C" versus Sweden "B"), it ramps up quickly to the February 11th showdown with Mexico. Every win over Mexico is a big win, but a hexagonal win is a HUGE win. Here's to hoping that Columbus provides us with cold weather and a raucous home crowd (per usual).

The hexagonal matches sandwich the Confederations Cup and the Gold Cup, which take place in June and July respectively (hell of a summer). While WC qualifying remains the most important item on the agenda, the two cups might be bigger from a worldwide perception standpoint.

The rest of the world views us as a annoyance, the plucky team that plays hard but never really seems to make an impact, and the general sports public here seems to have no interest. Ahead of the World Cup, 2009 gives us a chance work on those perceptions. A Gold Cup win is essential. No matter where the tourney is held (and I have no idea, so please fill me in if you have info), we'll be seen as the prohibitive favorites. A loss to either Mexico or one of the lesser teams in the region would give ammunition to our detractors both here and abroad. Our dominance in the region is a calling-card to those in this country still holding out on joining the party; I certainly hope it's a card we keep in our pocket for 2009.

Naturally, the Confederations Cup is the crown jewel of the year due it it's international contingent. It's the only world showcase we will participate in 2009, and gets a lot of our focus as fans. Because Italy and Brazil are participating, most of the footballing world will be paying attention. Exposure and chest-thumping aside, a strong showing in the Confederations Cup (especially in light of our group) would pump up our FIFA ranking, hopefully allowing us to be a seeded team in next years World Cup draw. Reaching the seeded ranking level for 2010 should be at the top of Big Bob's goals list for 2009.

I'm a positive person, and I like to try and believe in the collective intelligence of the American people. If the national team can beat Mexico AND win the Gold Cup AND make a run in the Confed Cup, wouldn't it reason that the average sports fans would be interested? What's more American than latching onto a new sport for a short run (i.e. the Olympics) just as an excuse to do a little flag-waving? The advertising run up to 2010 from all of the interested parties would gain new traction, and some of those temporary fans could be transformed into permanent ones. Twelve months is not a long time, even in our ADD world; transferring interest from 2009 to 2010 shouldn't be that difficult.

Results get attention, people. Get the results and people will show up. I've got my fingers crossed and my flag out, and I'm hoping for the big time in '09.