English fans were gearing up on Saturday for their match with Soccer World Cup underdogs America in Rustenburg.
Many South Africans too wore the trademark white and red cross of the team.
The popularity of the English side in South Africa is due in no small part to the Premier Soccer League fans.
United States fans however were less easy to spot. Those that were wore bright stars-and-stripes paraphernalia.
One group handed out lollipops at a Rustenburg mall, urging people to support their country.
“There are American fans,” said Andrew Olsen as he handed a lollipop to a food vendor. “We’re seeing more and more of them as the game gets closer.”
The 27-year-old Florida native rubbished the stereotype that Americans didn’t care about the beautiful game, saying: “We played soccer since we were little.”
Olsen and his two friends had been touring Southern Africa since May 14. “We’ve seen Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland as well,” said his companion, Erin Forbes.
The biggest surprise for Olsen was South Africa’s diverse culture.
“I wasn’t expecting that — and the people are really friendly.”
A bad experience for the trio was having their cameras and a phone stolen at the beginning of the trip.
“But it was by another tourist,” Forbes was quick to pipe up. “He said he was from England so that’s another reason for us to beat them.”
While it was widely predicted that the English side would beat the US, Forbes — who is on summer break from Texas University — was skeptical. She predicted a 3-1 defeat while Olsen went with a more modest 2-1.
Long lines of traffic snaked through the streets of Rustenburg hours before the match as several roads were closed to motorists. By 7.30pm however the cheery green, blue and yellow stands were slowly filling with spectators. Flags bearing the St George’s cross of England dominated over US flags in the stadium, with a few South African flags adding a dash of colour to the mix of red, white and blue.
But the American fans held their own, with colourful and imaginative outfits. Olsen’s face was painted with a star and he sported a hand painted “Made in America” slogan on his bright red tracksuit.
His favourite spot on his travels so far was Cape Town. “The penguins were really cool.”
And the highlight of their trip?
“It’s going to be beating England,” said Forbes with a grin.