“It’s hot, too hot. Very, very hot,” remarks Clark from Dalkeith, standing on a sidewalk in Miami. “I want a wee Arctic blast for about half an hour to calm down.”
Outside the Auld Dubliner in downtown Miami, a group of Scots has gathered to watch the England match, seemingly not for any schadenfreude (at least not at first). The atmosphere is lively, with locals joining in the fun, and the crowd shows no signs of fatigue from drinking.
“Everybody loves the Scots,” chimes in Graeme, Clark’s friend from Perth, who seems convinced that the local women have taken a liking to his accent since his arrival. “You know our reputation is global. It’s well deserved. We’re good guys.” He adds quietly, “It’s just the English that people don’t like.”
Florida has become the new hub for the Tartan Army, who relocated en masse from Boston last weekend ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Group C match against Brazil. Their presence has sparked a frenzy of interest from both the media and the public. Residents of Florida are eager to enjoy their time with the Tartan Army, contrasting with Bostonians who still lament their departure, feeling that the incoming English fans lack the same spirit.
On Monday night, a baseball game between the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers turned into a grand celebration for the Scots, who infused LoanDepot Park with the same energy and chants they had brought to Fenway Park just ten days earlier. This time, however, the anticipation was palpable, with television cameras focused on the stands and locals eager to document the festive occasion.
Scotsmaxxing has emerged as a novel American experience. Local politicians welcomed the Tartan Army to Ocean Drive, leading them in a formal march along the boardwalk. Bars, competing for the business of traveling fans, displayed signs reading “I like Boston better because everything was closer,” referencing the myth that the Tartan Army had exhausted Boston’s beer supply. Not everything is positive, though; someone has even remixed “The beach is great but it’s quite far away. The people are just as nice as in Boston but they’re all from Colombia and Argentina and they’re difficult to understand.” in the style of Pitbull.
A significant part of this enthusiasm reflects American curiosity about the Scots. Locals are enjoying the attention from visiting fans, and they seem genuinely excited to be around people whose main goal is to have fun. The consensus in Boston was that the city center hadn’t been this vibrant in years, and now Miami, known for its party atmosphere, is reveling in the energy.
Miami presents a stark contrast to Boston, not only due to its tropical weather. Chris from Glasgow, sitting outside the Auld Dubliner, expressed his nostalgia for New England. “My heart says 1-0 Scotland, my head says 1-1,” he states. “I think Brazil will win, but I’m very hopeful that Scotland will still qualify. If we keep it to a 1-0 defeat, we’ll go through.”
With just about 24 hours until the match, plans are forming for a reunion at the Marlins game, where they forged a connection with the team’s dynamic pitcher Tyler Philips, who remarked on Monday night that he could feel the energy from the stands “in my chest.” Every bar is expected to be teeming with fans, with two-hour waits to enter the fanzone as everyone seeks to join the tartan festivities.
There’s also the matter of Brazil’s presence in town. Clark notes that any Brazilians he has met have been “great craic,” while others mentioned only encountering rival fans at their hotel. Anticipation is building for a spectacular gathering of the clans before the match, with videos likely to follow soon after.
Regarding the game and the chances of Scotland advancing beyond the group stage for the first time in World Cup history, the unwavering confidence that has characterized the traveling fans remains intact. “My heart says 1-0 Scotland, my head says 1-1,” Graeme predicts, either outcome sufficient for progression. Clark adds, “I think Brazil will win, but I’m very hopeful that Scotland will still qualify. If we keep it to a 1-0 defeat, we’ll go through.”
With that, it was time to head back to the bar, where the game was resuming, and someone had just placed a traffic cone amid a pile of empty glasses.
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