"Shhhh," writes Ann Killon of the Mercury News.

"I'm going to let you in on a secret. One that, apparently, you're not supposed to know. The Women's World Cup is starting in China. On Monday. Yeah, that's right. This Monday.

"It's heartbreaking," said Marlene Bjornsrud, the former general manager of the San Jose CyberRays, a professional team born of the 1999 effort. "In soccer, the World Cup is the most important event. And these players have been preparing for years. But my fear is that it becomes the invisible World Cup."

So, consider this your VISIBILITY ALERT!!! (unless you're a night owl or early riser). The US Women's Soccer team is over in China to battle for the FIFA World Cup. ESPN and ESPN2 are carrying all their games -- though they're MIGHTY early: Monday's game (featuring the defending champs, Germany) is at 8amEST. The first US game is Tuesday at (gulp) 5amEST. (edited for clarity)

There are a lot of reasons to love this team - Kristine Lilly is one (yes, she is STILL playing). Abby Wambach is another (think Akers playing forward).