USA vs. England...Where a Tie = a Win

After 4 years of planning, the moment finally happened: the 1st game for the USA in the 2010 World Cup...and it just happened to be against England. England is stacked with some of the best players in the world: Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard. Luckily, they don't have a world class player at goalkeeper, and because of this we were able to tie 1-1 due to a horrible play by the English goalie. Take nothing away from the Americans, because we played well and had some chances of our own. I was so nervous the whole game that I almost couldn't watch.

The game itself was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I woke up at 6 am like a 5 year old on Christmas day, and the 4 of us took off for the shopping mall where our day was to start. First item on the agenda: getting my haircut & dyed into a blue mohawk.


blue mowhak, American flag & 2 Budweisers


After spending way too much money and 2 hours at the barber, it was done. By the time I got my haircut, it was time to hop on the bus to the game. A guy out of Chicago organized buses for 300 US fans to travel to and from the game (which was 3 hours' drive from Johannesburg). We met some awesome and terrible people on the bus, but a few beers makes anything bearable. We got to the stadium after sunset, and immediately entered the grounds and had beers, met fans from both sides, and had a blast. We entered the stadium about an hour before kickoff, and basked in the glory of being at the most anticipated game of the World Cup.

Highlights of the day include being interviewed by Al-Jazeera Sports, ESPN Brazil, and a South African radio station; meeting USA fans from Dayton, Tipp City, and Boston; all the costumes people were wearing (2 guys wearing Elvis wigs, 2 guys dressed up as Uncle Sam, someone as a Statue of Liberty); and just the camaraderie among US fans and the good-natured British fans.


Alex & Mikey, ready for the bus ride with a case of beer



being interviewed by ESPN Brazil



maybe Alex will now understand why I love soccer so much