The Old World Superpowers...

Spain...
Germany...
France...
Italy...
England...

They are calling this world cup the world cup of surprises. Who would have ever thought that Algeria could realistically manage a draw with England? Who would have ever thought that this draw would be 0-0? Who would have ever thought that England wouldn't even score one goal?

I wonder how much blame can be assigned to Capello, Loew, Del Bosque, Lippi and Domenech. Even to a soccer amateur, the performances by Algeria, Mexico, Paraguay, Switzerland and Serbia have been nothing but hard work on behalf of these teams. Are we so in love with the "winning" teams, with players who play in the Big European Leagues, that we cannot even consider the possibility that these teams have gotten better? Are we so used to having Italy, Germany, Spain, England, and France winning that we can't even consider the idea that teams such as Algeria, Mexico, Paraguay, and Switzerland have simply gotten so much better that they can NOW be consider worthy equal soccer rivals?

In the world of social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, people are asking "What is happening to the Europeans Stars?." Indeed, what is REALLY happening? Today's match, England vs. Algeria, was supposed to be a match England was supposed to win without too much difficult. Who has ever heard of the Algerian soccer team anyway? Algeria is the lowest ranked team in its respective group. England came into the world cup as a World Cup Favorite. But England is not playing its best, and their performance should be better. I can't help but wonder if their best has finally been matched. Who is to tell that the US and Algeria haven't gotten better? I guess we'll have to see who advances to the next round.

Nonetheless, this draw was a defeat for England and a win for Algeria. Considering the fact that the Algerian people do not fare well relative to the Developed World, I am sure this draw came as a sign of hope, and happiness. In order to advance to the next round, Algeria would need to defeat the US with as more than 3 goals.

I end this post with a quote by Ryad Boudebouz, midfielder for Algeria

We are pleased with the draw as the English underestimated us in the media over recent days. We were determined to show them we were not just here for the ride and that we have a decent team. Now we have to play the United States and if we know if we play like we did tonight we can beat them.

Good luck Algeria!