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Mike Lawrence

Call Mike Lawrence at 871-4203 or e-mail mlawrence@steamboatpilot.com.

In the summer of 1994, when I was 16, I saw soccer fans for Argentina, Greece and Nigeria line Route 1 outside of Boston for more than a mile, singing, blowing horns and banging drums while walking to Foxboro Stadium.

In 2002, I saw Ireland fans clad head to toe in emerald fill a San Diego bar at 4 a.m. — again, with nonstop singing — to watch the “boys in green” take the field in Japan. That same summer, as surfers walked past to catch pre-dawn waves, I came across two men setting up a TV on their lawn, cracking beers and tuning in a channel from Spain so they could watch the red, black and gold with commentators from home.

There’s nothing like the World Cup.

And with all 32 qualifying countries now established, it’s not too early to get excited for the 2010 edition, to be held in June and July in South Africa.

Kenny Reisman, volunteer assistant coach for Steamboat Springs High School boys soccer and a goalkeeper coach for local club teams — he also serves on something called City Council — shares that excitement.

World Cup or Super Bowl, Kenny?

“World Cup, every day of the week,” Reisman said. “I just love the World Cup. I love it as an event. … Just the passions that are clearly evident, wherever it’s being watched, from a local pub to cities across the globe to the actual country that’s hosting. Just the passion that’s evoked through that, all over the world, I think it’s unmatched. I think it trumps the Olympics, as well.”

I agree. Next year’s World Cup is 200 days away, and there’s already heart-wrenching drama.

Wednesday night in France, world-class French striker Thierry Henry clearly used his hands to control a ball before passing it to a teammate, who promptly scored a goal that qualified Les Bleus — who lost to Italy in the 2006 World Cup final — for the 2010 World Cup and sent their opponent, Ireland, home without a ticket to South Africa.

The Football Association of Ireland officially has filed for an unlikely rematch. “Oui were robbed” screamed one Associated Press headline. “Thierry the thief steals our dream” lamented another, from The Irish Independent in Dublin.

On Thursday, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen and French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted to talking about the handball — at the European Union summit in Brussels, no less. But sadly, it looks as if the boys in green and their passionate fans will be on the sidelines during the summer.

Qualifiers for the 2010 event include World Cup regulars such as England, the Netherlands, Germany, Mexico and Italy; along with surprises such as Slovenia, Serbia, Honduras, Korea DPR and New Zealand. Ukraine is a notable absence.

And look to the African continent to represent well — in addition to host South Africa, known as the Vuvuzelas, the field includes the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

As for a champion in the summer, Reisman named per­ennial powerhouses Argen­tina and Brazil.

“You always look to them,” he said.

“I would have to go with probably Spain or Brazil,” said Jim Dudley, a physician and longtime local soccer coach.

The outcome will swing largely on the group drawings, coming up Dec. 4. Each of the 32 teams will be placed into a group of four that plays one another in a round-robin first round, out of which 16 teams emerge.

As for my pick, I’ll take the Elephants of the Ivory Coast, in a shocking final against Argentina.

You never know.

— To reach Mike Lawrence, call 871-4233 or e-mail mlawrence@steamboatpilot.com