In the days before globalization, the past two days of World Cup matches could have been considered a meeting of first-world and third-world soccer nations. Just consider Monday's card: Togo vs. Switzerland, Saudi Arabia vs. Ukraine and Tunisia vs. Spain. Sunday, it was Australia facing Brazil, South Korea taking on France and Japan meeting Croatia. By the exalted perspective of old-world Europe or even the new, post-Cold War Europe - these games would have been established powers against pretenders. For a long time, the arrogant view in Europe has been that the European Championship, which is also held every four years, is a better tournament. The only thing keeping it from being a true 'World Cup' would be the absence of the two perennial South American powerhouses, Brazil and Argentina."
Read Marcos' full report at the Tampa Tribune >>
