One of the best B-plots of the World Cup has been the love affair between Lawrence, Kansas — home to the University of Kansas Jayhawks — and the Algerian national team.

• Lawrence's fandom has gone viral, Axios Kansas City's Abbey Higginbotham writes, turning a Midwestern college town into a national story while giving Algeria a genuine home crowd when it faces heavily favored Argentina.

🏕️ Catch up quick: Lawrence was chosen as Algeria's base camp, where the team stays for as long as it advances in the tournament.

• The team rolled in after midnight on June 8, greeted by flag-waving fans who waited out the thunderstorms just to see Algeria's players.

Zoom in: The KU marching band learned Algeria's national anthem, "Kassaman," and played it as hundreds packed an open practice at Rock Chalk Park, many wrapped in green, white and red.

• Players signed autographs and ran a clinic for local kids, and a Lawrence bar's welcome video in Arabic and French drew nearly a million views.
• World-renowned local artist Stan Herd even carved a quarter-acre Algerian flag into a hillside in Lawrence, shaped from grass and mulch.
• Locals are chanting, "Rock Chalk, Algeria!" — a twist on the classic "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" chant for KU.

🇩🇿 "We've embraced them, and they've embraced us," Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei says."This is just the start of the relationship. We haven't even played a game yet."

What's next: Algeria plays its first World Cup match since 2014 at 9 p.m. ET tonight, facing defending champion Argentina and star player Lionel Messi at Kansas City Stadium. The match airs on Fox and Telemundo.

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