World Cup Scene: South Africa 2010

In June 2010, I went to South Africa with my family to see soccer's World Cup. I had covered the event for a newspaper twice before, but this time, I went strictly as a fan. I had a lot more fun sitting in the stands with sports fans from around the world.

We were in Africa for 10 days and attended three games. This picture in this post is from the USA-Algeria game in Pretoria on June 23rd -- the game in which Landon Donovan scored a dramatic goal in extra time to give the US a victory and a place in the tournament's "knockout" phase.

If you click on the thumbnail picture, it opens a larger version you can peruse for a close look at the scene in South Africa. The stadium in Pretoria was a renovated rugby ground with the feel of an Ivy League football stadium. The game kicked off in the late afternoon under clear skies and ended as darkness fell and the temperature dropped into the low 50s. There were thousands of Americans in the stands, cheering and waving flags, and needless to say, they went berserk when Donovan scored.

I took this picture from my seat early in the game. There was a family of Algerians sitting right in front of us. They rooted hard but we all got along. As soon as Donovan scored, they looked at each other and ran for the exit. It was as if they couldn't stand to watch the last few minutes.