Want to know why this weekend is really a FIFA international break? Because FIFA had to get out of the way for everything else.

Look at all the stuff that’s on tap this weekend:

The 2007 NFL season kicks off tonight, with the defending champion Indianapolis Colts taking on the New Orleans Saints. A full slate of games kicks off on Sunday.

The 2007 AFL Finals Series beings Friday night in Australia (meaning early Friday morning where I’m at) with the defending champion West Coast Eagles taking on the upstart Port Adelaide Power. Three more finals will be played on Saturday and Sunday.

As if that weren’t enough — and really, don’t you think it ought to be — the Rugby World Cup begins on Friday in France, with the hosts taking on Argentina in the opener. There’s a full slate of games there this weekend as well.

Seriously, do you expect me to watch all that and the Premier League? Are you nuts? FIFA had no choice but to get out of the way. They even put the Women’s World Cup aside until Monday, so that we could get through this weekend of everything else. How thoughtful of them.

My DVR will be begging for mercy by the time this weekend is finished. For today, though, the American game takes center stage, and let me tell you, it’s gonna be a beautiful night. Football is back in America. For some of us, though, football never left.