“We probably ran out of almost every beer at some point, but it was a lot of fun.” Brandon Finnan, manager of the Cask ’n Flagon pub in the shadow of Fenway Park, is still catching his breath after the past fortnight. Boston hosted Scotland’s first two World Cup matches since 1998, and the Tartan Army descended in their tens of thousands. Venues like his enjoyed one of their busiest-ever spells.
“I think a lot of us took it for granted in a way,” Finnan said. “We didn’t know what to expect really. We heard the Scottish were coming. And when they showed up, they showed up very deep! Speaking for the city of Boston, we feel blessed. They’ve been amazing to us. They came in here. They’ve treated all the staff with nothing but respect. They took time to understand how our tipping works, they cleaned up. And I think they brought a lot of happiness to the city when we needed it. So it was very nice to see.”
“Scotland's Tartan Army won Boston's heart with respect and joy; now England fans arrive for their World Cup match.”
Such sentiments are widely held. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signed a letter of intent to establish Boston and Glasgow as sister cities. The Boston Globe took out a full-page advert honouring the Tartan Army. “You came for the World Cup, but gave us something more,” it read. “For a week, you turned train stations into singalongs, Fenway into a football ground, and an ordinary June into something we’ll be talking about for years.”
Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy wrote to the Scottish FA thanking it for “something none of us will forget”, after hundreds of fans visited Fenway Park for a regular-season baseball match on 14 June, lending the stadium a unique atmosphere. “Kilts and Scottish flags filled our ballpark with a spirit that has no equivalent in American sport,” he wrote. “The Tartan Army treated our home like their own, and we are better for it.”
Most Scottish fans have now moved on to Miami for their final group match against Brazil on Wednesday. Replaced by between 10,000 and 15,000 England supporters before their game against Ghana on Tuesday. The question now hanging over Boston: can England fans follow Scotland’s lead?