Just about anywhere you go in the world, football is king.

Actually, that would be futbol -- not the pigskin variety practiced in the United States and a few other places, but the one played with a round ball which inspires fierce loyalty and wild antics among its fans, along with the occasional riot.

Why soccer -- as we call it here -- produces such passion is still a mystery to most Americans over the age of 25, but the millions of youngsters who now play the sport in this country are starting to get it, and so are at least some of their parents.

At the most basic level, it's not hard to understand the appeal of this sport.

It can be played anywhere there's a little bit of room on any kind of surface. A ball made of rags with rocks to mark the goals work just as well as equipment costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Besides the low cost and easy access in comparison to most other team sports, soccer is also the great genetic equalizer.

Unlike American favorites such as, say, basketball and our football, relative size is much less of a factor, which makes success in the sport much more attainable for small nations that don't draw from the same kind of gene pool.

Case in point -- Pele, one of the first great international soccer stars, was just 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds, or about the size of a solid high school fullback here.

Which brings us to Saturday evening's World Cup qualifier between the United States and El Salvador.

With Olympic-like overtones, the World Cup is the Super Bowl of international sport. Like team sports in the Games, it's a tournament played only once every four years for which teams have to qualify just to be in the competition.

However, unlike the overall medals counts in the Olympics, it's an event that can be, and often is, won by countries other than the United States, Russia, Germany and other nations with large populations and ample resources.

In other words, for a country like El Salvador, this is one of the few chances for its teams to shine on an international stage, and the fan frenzy matches that reality accordingly.

The United States is, of course, catching on and catching up. "The Beautiful Game," as it's known around the world, has more American fans than ever before as we slowly learn to appreciate the subtleties and strategies of this game.

A few people -- to the tune of 19,066 -- were on hand to watch the United States defeat El Salvador 2-1 and pick up a critical three points in the region standings.

Raucous tailgate parties involving fans of both countries were underway hours before game time, and prior to the opening whistle, the stadium was already rocking from watching video of earlier matches during the pre-game warm-ups.

The biggest roars during the USA introductions went up for stud goalkeeper Tim Howard, all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan and 19-year-old sensation Jozy Altidore.

As it turned out, there is good reason for the fan adulation that follows these players everywhere they go.

El Salvador stunned the Americans by scoring first in the 32nd minute, when forward Rodolfo Zelaya gave a long center to midfielder Christian Castillo for the goal, setting off a wild celebration among El Salvador's fans, including fireworks.

Their rejoicing was short-lived, however. Nine minutes later, Donovan took a free kick from 45 yards out and got the ball to midfielder Clint Dempsey, who headed it into the net.

After that, the U.S. players reflected the rising tide of emotion in the stadium with their efforts on the field, and it paid off with just seconds left in stoppage time when Donovan once again sent a perfect center into the box and Altidore headed it home.

Howard was credited with four saves in the contest, but none was more important than the point-blank rocket he stopped with four minutes remaining.

Deafening chants of "USA, USA" filled the air as the clock wound down, and when it was over, the American players trotted over to the noisiest fan section and acknowledged their support.

With three matches left to play, the victory puts the Americans in excellent position for an automatic qualifying berth to World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Whether they get there or not, however, spectators at tonight's outstanding contest will forever have memories as rare as they are sweet.

• Beky Beaton can be reached at bbeaton@heraldextra.com.