No, not the Miami Heat, the German summer heat. European players have been slogging all over the pitch in the hot summer weather, especially those from the Premiership. The England team on Saturday is probably the clearest example, although Australia’s Premier League players today were walking it up the pitch late in the game as well. I think this might play into the advantage of the US and specifically MLS players conditioned to play through hot summers.

Today will be a good test of this with the exclusively European based Czechs taking on the State’s mix of MLS and European players. If Nedved and Baros are still sporting their shaggy haircuts it may even take even more of a toll on them.

I could see this leading to an uncharacteristically late US victory or equalizer.

Update: I didn't realize that the US vs. Czech game was in Gelsenkirchen in the cooled, and basicially domed stadium. America's loss (literally).