1776, 1812, 1950, 2010?

Landon striking a free kick. Predictably, nothing happened.


Top 3 shirt of the entire trip


The shebeen scene


Beautiful Royal Bafokeng Stadium


Brother making friends


Now, for some details of the actual trip:
After our long journey from the US to Africa was complete, our focus immediately shifted from jet lag to the more pressing matter: the USA vs. England match. After arriving in Rustenburg at the very, ahem, rustic lodge we would be spending the night at with Howard and his friends, we were immediately subjected to some good-natured heckling by his South African-turned English fans. After accepting a bit of "hazing" for being American, we were welcomed into the group and got to enjoy some of the very typical tailgate fare they had prepared.
As we arrived at the stadium area, we were amazed at the number of American and British fans who had made the trip, as well as the astoundingly awful management of the traffic around the stadium. The only thing I can relate it to is Route 1 for a Patriots game, only worse; one person told us the next day that it took her six hours to make the normally two hour journey back to Johannesburg.
We spent the rest of the pregame festivities at a shebeen (a sort of outdoor bar/grilling area) just outside the stadium. Dan swapped shirts with some England fans for a photo, I met somehow met one of my roommates' friends from home, and we discovered new and exciting ways with which to use the ubiquitous vuvuzelas. The shebeen is truly an amazing concept, and one that should immediately be integrated into the American sports culture- everything one could want is contained in one place, the food is great, and people are bound to have a good time once there.
As for the game itself, pretty much everything has already been written. We sat in a largely pro-American section, and the delirium that followed Clint Dempsey's goal cannot be compared to a crowd experience in any other sport. World Cup goals mean so much more, and his bringing the US level (even though it came via a heartbreaking goalkeeper error with which I can certainly empathize) was a remarkably euphoric moment for all of us.
The next day brought the game park, which I will expound upon after a shower and my first shave in almost 4 weeks.