In reference to the World Cup, a friend of mine sent me a note on Facebook this morning saying that she felt like a kid who is too anxious to find out if Santa will bring her what she wants for Christmas. It certainly feels that way with one big exception. This celebration will last longer than one morning.

The anticipation that has been building inside me for the World Cup is greater than any other tournament I’ve experienced. There’s more of a feeling that there a lot more people are aware of the tournament this time. And there’s been so much more buzz than usual.

The feelings that are going inside me are ones of tension and anxiety coupled with giddy excitement. I have a strong feeling that I’ll feel so much better when the tournament kicks off on Friday. And so too will soccer fans around the globe as they all let out a heavy sigh and the weight of the World Cup anxiety and nervousness about the country’s performance is lifted off their shoulders all at once.

But what about you? What are the feelings and thoughts that are running through your mind and body about this World Cup? How are they different than previous tournaments? And how anxious are you for this tournament to kick off as soon as possible? Please share your insights in the comments section below.

Two additional points I want to make are as follows. One, as we get closer and closer to Saturday’s USA versus England match, the level of hostility in the comments sections on my site and others seems to increase. As soon as the game is over, expect an avalanche of debate and comments from soccer fans on both sides of the Atlantic. And two, I have a big concern that soccer fans will get burned out faster than ever before this tournament. There’s not just the six hours of games each day. But there’s more TV coverage than ever before. And there’s the Twitter and Facebook effect. This is the first World Cup that is truly 24/7. So be sure to take a break now and again, pace yourselves and don’t overdo it. After all, it’s only another four years before the next time it comes around.