World War III is set to break out next month. Germany will be in the center of it, once again, with American boys in the thick of things. And yet the American heartland is unprepared. Welcome to the Soccer World Cup that kicks off June 9 in Germany.

Jack Kemp dismissed soccer on the floor of Congress as a “European socialist sport” – in contrast to football which the ex-quarterback called “democratic” and “capitalism.” Franklin Foer has written that soccer is popular elsewhere because it represents the dreams of the masses, while in America it’s the preserve of the middle class of the soccer moms. Or perhaps ignoring soccer is a remnant of the American Revolution: Americans are asserting their independence by refusing to embrace what might be England’s most lasting, and according to many greatest, gift to the world.

Soccer is a low-scoring game. One goal in 90 minutes is the norm. David Brooks likens it to a “prom for ninth-graders: There’s lots of tortured posing, self-conscious strutting, moody sulking and profitless give-and-take, but few people actually score.” In soccer the clock doesn’t stop when the ball goes out of bounds, perhaps why Mr. Kemp saw it as socialist. It ignores the hallowed “time is money” principle.

Soccer playing foreigners taunt that Americans only play games they can win and that international sports just isn’t an American thing: The “world series” just goes as far as Canada. Some cynics insist that Americans ignore soccer because there’s no money in the sport for television stations. In soccer there are no timeouts. It’s a solid 45 minutes, a 15-minute break, and then another solid 45 minutes. No commercial breaks means no ad revenue for stations. Better for stations to promote sports with many timeouts (read: ad spots).

Luckily the World Cup provides a good opportunity to reconsider soccer, a game that anyone can play and is easy to learn. There are few rules and no equipment other than a ball is really needed. No pads, no hoops, and no bats. Some of the world’s greatest players learned by playing barefoot on the streets of Brazil. There is no one way of playing the game. Each nation has its own style, from the free-flowing South American game to the hard-tackling English game. It’s individual brilliance that managers encourage and supporters love.

It is true that soccer is low scoring. But part of the beauty of soccer is the effort required in the build up. Players spend most of the game tiring out their opponents and testing their weak points. George Orwell had soccer in mind when he described serious sport as “war minus the shooting.” While individual American fans may get a touch rowdy from time to time, it’s the soccer fans that riot, trample, and kill. Europeans might sneer at America and call it barbaric for its gun culture and its death penalty, but it’s soccer hooligans that are the real savages. Riot police are now on watch at every game.

Aside from fighting each other, supporters often target the soccer stars themselves. After England’s David Beckham was sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup for kicking an Argentine player, Beckham faced abuse and criticism across England. An effigy of Beckham was hanged and burned outside a London pub. America hosted the World Cup in 1994 and reached the second round after a Colombia defender mistakenly scored an own goal. When America was knocked out later, the team was still applauded; the Colombian defender, however, was shot on his return home.

The press in soccer-loving nations often makes the hooligans look like gentlemen. Britain’s Daily Mirror printed a pullout dartboard with Beckham’s face on it. Before one England-Germany game, the front page of the Mirror read: “Achtung! Surrender! For you Fritz, the Euro ’96 Championship is over.” Below the headline were headshots of some of England’s stars with World War I helmets superimposed on them.

Pele famously called soccer “the beautiful game.” It’s estimated that almost 5 billion people will be watching next month’s World Cup. If President Bush wants to declare war on Iran, abolish the United Nations, or do anything else without risking a reaction from the rest of the world, he’s got a 90-minute window during the tournament final. The rest of the world will be hooked on their television screens. Can 5 billion people be wrong? Could this be the start of a beautiful new friendship?

Mr. Freedman is editor of the online edition of The New York Sun and blogs at www.itshinesforall.com.