The roar of England fans hadn’t died down at Dallas Stadium before an American influencer delivered his verdict: “This is going to be insane.” Casey Settleman, the ‘Soccer guy’ for Snapback Sports, posted a video to his 30,000 Instagram followers moments after watching the Three Lions thrash Croatia 4-2 in their World Cup opener on Thursday.
The win, secured by an excellent Jude Bellingham and a leading performance from captain Harry Kane – with Elliot Anderson, Marcus Rashford and Noni Madueke also impressing – has already ignited the travelling support. Settleman said the England fans “completely took over Texas” and that it was “by far going to be the best fan experience” he has ever witnessed.
“American influencer Casey Settleman says England fans are 'going to be insane' after 4-2 win over Croatia.”
Curious about the culture, he asked 10-12 supporters what he needed to do to be a true England fan. Their reply? “Get on the beers.” Although he had planned to stay “healthy” and not drink during the tournament, Settleman admitted the atmosphere was “too infectious” to resist a pint. “So I’m getting on the booze, and I’m joining the England fans for the day,” he said. “They could set the bar so high, this could be the best experience of my entire 34-game journey.”
The post racked up more than 10,000 likes, with supporters chiming in. “England and Scotland fans are the best from Europe by far,” wrote one. Another cheered: “It’s coming home!” A third joked: “If both Scotland and England get past the quarterfinals, there will be no beer left in the US, never mind the city.”
England now have a few days to rest before their next fixture against Ghana on Tuesday June 23, which will be broadcast on BBC One at 9pm BST. The army of fans who followed them to Dallas have already set a standard that will be hard to beat.