Stay Alert, Stay Alive.

"Stay Alert, Stay Alive." No, it's not the name of Ron Artest's new album about playing street hoops growing up in the Bronx. It's a World Cup campaign to promote safe driving on South Africa's notoriously treacherous roads. You see the slogan plastered along the walls surrounding the field during games, and the slogan perfectly describes what it takes to advance. Teams moving on are the ones with reason to be alert, the ones that are actually enjoying their World Cup experience playing for their country. The brilliant book Soccernomics (often dubbed the Moneyball for soccer for those looking for a good book to pick up), touched upon this concept when it focused on Gus Hiddink's motivational tactics in leading an upstart South Korea side that had never before won a match in the world's most famous tournament. Hiddink, the man widely perceived to be the best international coach in the world, discovered that the fundamental problem with Korea wasn't in its lack of height or tactical ability; rather, he found the Koreans to be predisposed to a hierarchical structure that sacrificed joy for discipline. Younger players deferred to veteran's decisions, refusing to challenge older players, even when they weren't as good as the young upstarts or were simply wrong with their tactics. There is a great anecdote where Hiddink notices this hierarchy playing out during team meals, each time the team would eat invariably the oldest players would eat first and the youngest last. Hiddink shook up this hierarchy; he kicked out older players, brought up younger players, and implored everyone on the pitch to make their own decisions and play free and easy. Eventually he brought back the cut veterans, resulting in everyone's roles being better understood with the added desire to work together for a common goal instead of worrying about the hierarchy. The result? Korea made a shocking run to the tournament semifinals that is now part of soccer lore, taking down traditional world powers Portugal, Italy and Spain along the way.

Hiddink has famously gone on to lead other countries to overachieve, giving him a Phil Jackson talisman effect in leading teams to victories. The reasons for the success seems simple - respect the native culture of the player's lives while also stressing the team above all else. The Koreans didn't achieve soccer success until they were alerted to their own constraints that prevented them from playing at the same level as the world's best. Contrast that to underwhelming European powers who have fallen victim to their worst traits, where playing for their country has been more painful than joyous. The French have been arrogant and argumentative, the English stodgy and stilted, and the Italians aged and overly critical. Stay Alert and Stay Alive, I think that sums up well what I've learned from this World Cup so far. And if you don't want to take my word for it, just take a listen to our new American hero. We Believe. We're Alive, Baby.



As an added bonus, I present my World Cup Ratings, fashioned after the ever present player ratings that are required of publications after a soccer match (scale is from 1-10, with 5 being average and 10 being exceptional).

The Future of United States Soccer: 8.5. In yet another round of "biggest soccer game in US history," US fans finally hit the jackpot. Anyone watching the Algeria match will never forget the feeling of Donovan's breakthrough. Just take a look at some of the reactions at pubs across the nation. From Nebraska to Seattle and even the lucky ones at the game itself, America is alert to soccer right now. Now the US gets a rematch with Ghana and a possible road to the semifinals on the world's biggest stage. With the MLS gaining ground on the professional big four and Bill Clinton dispatched to bring the 2022 world cup back to the states, the US is making a big move as a bona fide soccer nation.

Fabio Capello: 4. The most surprising thing of Fabio Capello's reign as head coach of England has been his skills in the English language. Just look at this post-match video after England's victory over Slovenia, where they scored only their second goal in three games. While petty, you have to wonder how grating this can get on a team full of stars earning hundreds of thousands a dollars a week from their pro clubs. Capello's disciplinarian approach, which includes stripping John Terry of his captaincy for his personal indiscretions and refusing to announce starting lineup to the team until just before kickoff, has already caused an attempted coup by the players, and the team's performance on the pitch has reflected that dissatisfaction. Is anyone else thinking Wayne Rooney has looked more like Pikey in the trailer park (below) than an all-world striker so far?



France: -2. Thank goodness for the French. Who else could provide the farcical drama we've been able to watch the last few days? I'm seconds away from pitching to Bravo TV executives a new series starring coach Raymond Dommenech in the Real Housewives of Gay Paris. Every single French stereotype has been played out perfectly by this guy. Arrogant, argumentative, sickly...he's the best French bad guy we've seen since Glass Joe. Meanwhile, with his team in absolute shambles, he makes certain the world knows just how French he is by refusing to shake hands with the host nation's coach after losing his final game with a whimper. Che Fantastic!

African Soccer: 4. With only one out of six teams qualifying for the second round, the performance of African nations in this year's cup can be summed up by one player's last name:
African Soccer Nicknames: 10. Meanwhile, how great are the nicknames for the African teams? Les Elephants, the Black Stars, Super Eagles, Desert Foxes, the Indomitable Lions...it's a wonder how we continue to come up with lame team names like the Orlando Magic or the Nashville Predators here in the US. And speaking of the Indomitable Lions, does that make the NFL team in Detroit the domitable Lions?

ESPN TV Coverage: 9. The only people happier than Americans and English that their teams advanced to the second round have to be the suits at ESPN. They went all in on this tournament, bringing in the best announcers soccer has to offer as well as a great assortment of in-studio talent. After a rocky start, even Alexi Lalas has me completely on board with his analysis - his change of focus after the Slovenia match from the incomprehensible referee decision to America's slow start set just the right tone for the team to overcome the offside call against Algeria. The American spirit is strong with this one.

Sports Illustrated Written Coverage: 9. Grant Wahl's team at SI is absolutely bringing it with coverage from all angles. Jonathan Wilson is an early star with his spot on (and understandable) tactical analysis. His article focusing on Mexico deploying a pre-war formation provides shades of the Wildcat formation as a counter to zone coverage in the NFL. Peter King's wedding anniversary aside, if there's a one stop shop for written coverage of this cup, SI.com has got to be it.

World Football Daily: 7.5. Steve and Kenny, the duo from London and Glasgow, are undoubtedly the best radio show covering soccer in North America. Bringing close to two hours of coverage daily during the World Cup, nothing is off the table for these guys. With guests dialing in from all over the globe bringing local coverage otherwise unavailable stateside, the $5 cost to listen to their daily podcasts for the month is well worth it.

North Korea: 10. They've given us a bawling star during the national anthems, actors hired as fake fans for the team, and now a mysterious defection story that will surely never be reported on again. I'm almost certain the news reports in North Korea will report how the movie "The Last Airbender" has already been made to honor the winning goal Kim Jong-Il scored in the World Cup Final.

Jabulani: 2. It's clear at this point that the Jabulani roughly translates to "fly over the crossbar" in Zulu. Can I be the first to suggest that the next World Cup bring back the hexagonal ball from Mexico 1970? Retro is way in, and you can't tell me people wouldn't love seeing that ball back in action. Just like the NFL and NBA, there comes a point where a ball reaches its aesthetic and performance peak. Tinkering with the technology only excites engineers and marketers. Let's get back to the basic on this one, shall we?