South Africa, World Cup 2010

Johannesburg Soccer City

Johannesburg Airport

The main purpose of the trip to South Africa was to see the World Cup. We managed to get tickets to see three matches, and picked up tickets for two additional matches while there.

USA vs. Algeria

USA vs. Algeria

USA vs. Algeria

The first match we went to will forever be my favorite in-person World Cup match (because the 2006 World Cup Italy vs. France match when Italy won was totally amazing). Anyway, we knew that USA was playing Algeria in Pretoria, so we donned all our USA gear, hopped in the car and made the trek from Johannesburg to Pretoria and hoped that we’d be able to score tickets there. Luckily, we ran into a tour guide from the US who happened to have a surplus of tickets and sold them to us at face value. We were seated in an area with mostly USA fans, and when USA won, the section went wild. It was the perfect way to start off our South African adventure.

Argentina vs. Mexico

Argentina vs. Mexico

Johannesburg Soccer City

A few of the games were a little less memorable for me, probably just because I didn’t have a dog in the fight: Germany vs. Ghana and Argentina vs. Mexico (both at Soccer City in Johannesburg). Both were great matches, the stadium was incredible, and the people who dressed up were hysterical.

USA vs. Ghana

USA vs. Ghana

USA vs. Ghana

Bill Clinton

The USA vs. Ghana match in Rustenburg was probably my least favorite. We refer to it as “The Rustenburg Disaster.” Not only did USA lose, but the whole thing was totally unorganized. You had to park a ridiculous distance from the stadium and take shuttle buses in. That part was fine. Even the buzzing vuvuzelas in a tiny cramped space was fine. It was the getting out part that was.. awful. There were three loading areas.  Each sort of functioned like a funnel, except that somehow, the people from the sides were all managing to get on the buses before any of us in the center. It took us an hour and a half to catch a bus. Then we waited another 30 minutes in a line to get out of the parking lot. When we got to the “highway”, we waited about another hour to get out of Rustenburg before hitting four to five tolls, and still had a two and a half hour drive back to Johannesburg. It ended up being about a six-hour commute back, with a horrible accident on the highway where I saw a car’s whole front end get smashed in. Oh, did I mention that I was also sick and had a fever the whole drive back? All of it was worth it though, for one particular thing: I got to see Bill Clinton. He was in the seats above us and over a section, and I was only managed to snap a few blurry photos while frantically waving at him. (If you haven’t gathered, I’m a huge Bill Clinton fan. Don’t hate.)

Netherlands vs. Slovakia

Netherlands vs. Slovakia

The last match of the whole trip was Netherlands vs. Slovakia in Durban. This was a pretty special match to me because I have so many Dutch friends and love The Netherlands. When I was in The Netherlands a few months earlier, I’d picked up a Dutch football shirt for my boyfriend (though, at that point we had no idea we’d be seeing them play! You’ll also recall that I saw the famous Dutch footballer, Ibrahim Afellay while there). When we found out we were going to be seeing Netherlands play, my adorable Dutch friends informed me that I should shout “Hup Holland Hup” at the match. It ended up being one of the most fun games ever, and Netherlands won!

USA

World Cup

Going to the World Cup was incredible. To see all of those world-class athletes in person was something I’ll never forget. I’m already getting excited and eager to start planning for 2014 World Cup in Brazil!

World Cup

American Outlaws Austin Texas

Author: Megan

Megan is an ordinary girl who outgrew her small town and decided to try the world on for size. She's on a mission to travel, photograph, and write about the world.

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