U.S. v. Sweden and African Cup of Nations viewing

Saturday evening the U.S. men's national team kicks off its 2008 campaign against Sweden in Carson City, California. It's a young, predominantly MLS-based roster, with 18-year-old strike menace Josmer Altidore getting his second call-up. It will be the 500th match for the squad. As usual folks will be gathering locally at the Sweetwater to watch. Kickoff is 7:30 CST.

Viewing for the African Cup of Nations will be a little trickier. It can only be seen in the U.S. on French-language station 3A Telesud. Holy Land Deli again looks like the best possibility for catching games in the Twin Cities. I just spoke with the redoubtable Northeast Minneapolis establishment's office manager, Jan Stafford, on the phone. "To the best of my knowledge, yes," she says of televising the games. "Because we have a lot of customers who are soccer fans." The opening match features hosts Ghana against Guinea. Kickoff is 11 a.m. CST. On Monday powerhouses Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire face off at 11 a.m. in the most anticipated matchup of the opening round.