In 2002, Saudi Arabia were the worst team in the World Cup. Such levels of suckitude are difficult to maintain, but the Saudis* are off to a good start in their preparations: today they lost at home 2-1 to Poland, in a match that the Poles apparently controlled for long stretches.
It's hard to know what to make of Saudi Arabia. They did very well in 1994 and seemed to be a rising force on the world stage. But in the next two Cups they stank on ice (or sand, rather), and there's little indication that 2006 will be any different. A large part of the problem is that their players almost never play abroad, and so they can't get the kind of experience that playing in a top league can give you.
Watch them win the whole thing now after my snark. If they are going to have World Cup success, it better be this year; they'll never have a kinder draw than Spain, Ukraine and Tunisia.
* Why are they always called "Saudis"? The house of Saud, after whom Saudi Arabia is named, is just one family (albeit a super-powerful one). Why aren't they called "Arabians?"
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1 comment:
Good question! I can only assume that to call themselves "Arabians" would be to appropriate a more general term for a small population in the same way that citizens of the United States call themselves "Americans" ... hey!, perhaps they could start calling themselves Unitarians! ;p
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