One cup to rouse them all
It was sweet to be an American on that hot afternoon beneath the palms.
For the 90 minutes when the U.S. soccer team recently played Algeria in the World Cup, two Americans in a Cairo cafe received thumbs up and smiles. Not because they were particularly endearing, but at that moment their team was on its way to defeating Egypt’s archrival, a nemesis whose mention draws clenched teeth and bitterness.
Algeria had months earlier knocked Egypt out during the World Cup qualifiers, so it was only natural that the Egyptians, who on most days aren’t enamored with the U.S., would cheer for an American victory in South Africa. Or, more succinctly, an Algerian defeat. The Yanks came through, although this being summer in Egypt, the electricity died and TV screens went blank. Waiters bit their lips and apologized. No one in the cafe saw the winning goal but a cheer rose in the distance around a man listening to a radio.
