PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — World Cup soccer is underway and many fans will be watching Monday night when Team USA takes to the field for the first time in the tournament.

American soccer fans keeping up with the Wold Cup tournament are looking forward to watching the match between USA and Ghana with thoughts of payback.

“Ghana, we’ve played them in the last few tournaments in the knock out rounds and they’ve knocked us out. So there’s a little bit of bad blood between the two teams and we really have to win that game.”

And most agree that tonight’s match is a must win.

“It’s the easiest game they’ve got. After that, they’ve got two tougher games in my opinion, so if they don’t win, you’re pretty much coming home.”

The World Cup is arguably the world’s most important tournament, and while soccer is much bigger in other parts of globe, fans say the sport has come a long way here in the United States.

“Just in the last five to ten years, you can see the amount of training facilities that have popped up.”

So what draws fans to the sport?

“I think that soccer is a very tough sport. I mean, they run non-stop for 90 minutes. It’s kind of like life in general — it’s a struggle — and for that one moment of glory. It’s not like basketball where you score 120 points. And sometimes you do it with other people and I think that is what brings soccer so much passion.”

And while not everyone shares the same passion for soccer, some who do say the World Cup is as big as it gets.

“It’s the most important game in the world, there is nothing as big. I will say it’s the Super Bowl times a million.”

Hadas Kuznits has been as a news writer/reporter for KYW Newsradio since September 2002, and has traveled the city — and the world — while covering stories for Newsradio.
She is also the host of KYW's series "What's Cooking on 1060!" -- covering...