There is no question Brazilians will put on the biggest party in recent World Cup history when they host the 2014 tournament, but there are many questions about whether they can pull off the logistical details — such as transportation and stadiums.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke chastised Brazil again this week for falling behind with stadium preparations. He said Thursday during a visit to host cities Fortaleza and Salvador that “there is not a single stadium ready today.” The matches will be played in 12 cities, and a 44,000-seat stadium is being built in Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon.

The cities are far apart, and each will host four matches. Travel between the venues could be more difficult than in other host countries because the airports and infrastructure need major upgrades. South Africa, the 2010 host, faced similar challenges and came through in the end. Valcke urged the Brazilian Congress to approve a bill in March regulating the World Cup, as that would help get construction going.

He also insisted that beer be sold at matches (which, surely, would please major sponsor Budweiser). Brazil prohibited alcohol sales in stadiums in 2003 to curb violence.

“We’re not talking about alcohol, we’re talking about beer,” Valcke said.

There is also internal strife within the organizing committee, as Ricardo Teixeira, president of the group, is implicated in a scandal involving millions of dollars in kickbacks from World Cup broadcast deals. Ronaldo, the former World Cup star, recently joined the committee. Let’s hope he is as adept at getting things done in the board room as he was on the field.

On a mission

The U.S. women’s national team — which captured the nation’s attention last summer during the World Cup — is back together, hoping to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. The CONCACAF qualifying got under way for the Americans this weekend in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Coach Pia Sundhage, who typically sings rock songs to her players to motivate and entertain them, decided to go literary on them. When she gathered the team before Friday’s game against the Dominican Republic, she quoted from the best-selling book (and movie) The Help.

“I’m a big fan of having a good start, so I want to surprise them,” Sundhage said. “Sometimes we take things for granted, so I was standing there and my first words — I didn’t sing — I look at them and I say: ‘You’re kind. You’re smart. You’re important.’ That’s exactly what they are.”

The United States is the top-ranked team in the world and a heavy favorite to earn one of the two regional spots in the Olympics. But the players aren’t taking anything for granted. They remember how they struggled to qualify for the 2011 World Cup. They won three games by a combined score of 18-0, but then lost to Mexico 2-1 in the semifinals and had to win a playoff against Italy to get in.

This time, the two teams that reach the regional final get into the Olympics. The semifinal losers stay home.

“There’s no better motivation than things not going as you planned,” forward Abby Wambach said. “And definitely the last qualification didn’t go as we planned. We thankfully had a second chance with playing the home-and-away series against Italy, and this time around we don’t have that chance. All of us know that. It’s not something that we even talk about.

“We’re one of the best teams in the world, and we just can’t show up for qualification and play and expect to win nowadays. Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, they’re all really good teams and they have a good chance of beating us on any given day.”

Beckham is back

English superstar David Beckham, who turns 37 in May, rejected offers from Europe and decided to stay with the Los Angeles Galaxy primarily because his family loves the California lifestyle. He signed a two-year deal with the MLS club.

“We’re happy living in America,” he said. “At this moment in my life, my family and my children are the most important thing to me. My children love living here, and at the end of the day to be 36 years old and to have the offers I was having thrown at me, you have to look at all the options.

“But the reason I came to L.A. is to play soccer. The reason I came here was to win a trophy. I hadn’t done that in four years, and last season I did it. I’m committed to the Galaxy. I’m excited about this beginning again. We’ve got a very special team. … But we’re not finished. I’m not happy with one championship. I want more.”

American sports fans will get to see plenty of Beckham (literally) on Super Bowl Sunday, as he is in TV commercials for his new underwear line.