The Guardian's Take On American Fans at the World Cup

From The Guardian's look at American soccer fans in Germany:

Team USA had spent the two nights preceding the game at the local Ramstein airbase, along with the 55,000 US servicemen and -women stationed there (and possibly a few CIA guests on a brief stopover on their way to being disappeared into some shadowy eastern European prison with a relaxed approach to the Geneva Convention. You don't like to ask). Either way, there was a definite military flavour to Saturday's fixture. "We're representing our country," the US coach Bruce Arena had informed the media in advance. "We know [the soldiers] are watching us and following us." It's always so difficult to remember which results criteria mean the terrorists have won - will the enemies of freedom draw solace from a draw? - but there was certainly noisy jubilation in the streets that America's World Cup hopes had not been snuffed out as many expected.

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