Scotland fans gathered in Boston for their group stage match against Haiti. The city proved the perfect base: it's where Americans first rebelled against English rule. Supporters dressed as William Wallace met local tour guides dressed as Paul Revere.
The Scottish Football Association rebranded a local pub as Scotland House, sponsored by M&S Food. The 2,000-capacity venue is expected to fill on matchday. Fans wore "Boston T Party" shirts, where the T stands for Tennent's, Scotland's beer brand.
Estimates suggest as many as 40,000 Scots could head to New England for the World Cup. For many, this is an opportunity they waited years to experience. Gordon Sheach was nine years old at the 1998 World Cup and expected the next one would come sooner. He waited through his entire teenage years, his 20s, and nearly into his 30s.
Fans emphasized the rarity of this moment. "There are very few things in life you can genuinely describe as once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, but seeing Scotland at a World Cup is one of them," Sheach said.
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