Sakka, football, chukgu soccer.

By whatever name, "il jogo bonito" — the beautiful game — is the most popular sport in the world.

And Hawaii, often called "The Crossroads of the Pacific," is the logical choice to host this week’s Hawaiian Islands Invitational, an international tournament with teams from Japan, Australia, Korea and the United States at Aloha Stadium.

Three time zones and 50 degrees removed from the snowy environs of Denver, players from the Colorado Rapids, the 2010 Major League Soccer Cup champion, certainly think so.

"It’s a great change of scenery for us," Rapids keeper Matt Pickens said after practice at the University of Hawaii grass field. "We’ve gone from snow and playing on artificial turf to this.

"Our bodies are happy to be here."

It’s not just for a literal warm-up for the MLS opener March 10 at its Dick’s Sporting Goods Park just outside of Denver. It’s an opportunity to add a "cap" — international match — to the resume, as well as try to recapture the success of two seasons ago.

The majority of the oft-injured 12-9-13 squad has returned, including leading scorer Kosuke Kimura, the first Japanese national in the MLS. But the Rapids will be under new head coach Oscar Pareja, hired just six weeks ago. The former assistant and longtime player for FC Dallas enjoyed a pro career spanning 18 years, as well as 11 appearances with the Colombian national team. The biggest adjustment has been to Pareja’s 4-3-3 (four defenders, three midfielders, three forwards) formation, designed for possession and pressure, from the more traditional 4-4-2 lineup.

"We have a good solid base," said Pareja, a former MLS Best XI (all-star). "Our season is just around the corner and the boys are excited about playing here.

"Practice has been good. The intensity is there and we continue to get back into competition mode. We’re expecting high-intensity games here and good international competition."

Thursday’s second match will be one of mixed emotions for Kimura when he and the Rapids take on Yokohama FC, starring his longtime idol Kazuyoshi "Kazu" Miura.

"It will be very exciting for me. I grew up watching him play," Kimura said of Miura. "I was the first Japanese player in the U.S. and now we have others. I want to be a good example for the Japanese people, play my best, play my hardest and help the game grow in Japan, too.

"This (tournament) is a good opportunity to see how we can do against international teams. We will try to control the games, see who we match up with. Having the guys back from last year helps and we are working together to get even more chemistry."

Kimura has an aunt and cousins on Oahu and said he hoped to be able to see his family and more of Hawaii.

"But we came for business," he said.

Business has been good for the Rapids, who have seen their fan base grow exponentially since their founding in 1996. One of the original 10 MLS franchises, the team averaged 14,838 last season in its 18,086-seat stadium, an increase of more than 500 in 2010.

"There’s been a steady growth and you can see the improvement every year," David Lindholm, the team’s director of media relations, said."We look at teams like Seattle (Sounders, averaging 38,496) and you want to show them the same atmosphere they get at home."

The Rapids have launched their "Part of the Fabric of the Team" campaign, where anyone who purchases a season ticket will have his or her name printed into the design of the home jerseys for 2013.

"Someone asked what happens if we sell 18,000 season tickets," Lindholm said. "I told them we would have to figure that out, but it would be a good problem to have."