For many Scotland and Haiti soccer fans, the trek to Foxborough on Saturday started with spirited groups boarding buses. They came with flags representing the two nations, and chants in Creole and the Scottish brogue.
The face off was the first time either team had played in the men’s World Cup in decades, a rare chance for two underdog squads to make a mark on their nation’s soccer histories. For Scotland, it could be the first victory since 1990. Haiti was playing for its first win ever, and it was the team’s only appearance in the tournament since 1974.
The Tartan Army chartered dozens of school buses from Boston and Providence to get to the game. On the ride with the Scots were many father-son pairs, kilts and even more beer. Organizers brought 10,000 cans of Narragansett Lager for the Foxborough-bound buses from Providence alone. None were left by the end of the night.
Andrew Cole boarded in Providence with his 9-year-old son, Ezra, and high expectations.
“ I’m hopeful that we get a chance to celebrate. Football is made more special when you get a chance to jump up and down and hug the person next to you,” Cole said. “And when that’s your son and sharing that moment, that’s extra special as well.”
Cole said even the 90-degree heat couldn’t dampen fans’ spirits (his woolen kilt was “airy,” he said). The Tartan Army sang about everything, from their national history, to the traffic, to their favorite players, to their need for a restroom. They offered good-natured “boos” to Haitian fans as their bus arrived at the stadium.
Massachusetts’ Haitian community was equally celebratory ahead of the game.
In Mattapan Square, a center of Boston’s Haitian community, chants of “Grenadye Alaso!” rang out. Dozens of fans, many waving their nation’s flag, gathered to celebrate before journeying to Foxborough. Gov. Maura Healey had secured 1,100 tickets to World Cup games for Massachusetts residents, and about 100 went to Haitians through a Mattapan nonprofit.
One of the recipients, Emalee Milcet, said the moment meant everything for Haiti.
“Me and my family, and just everybody that I know that are Haitian, are just so happy and so grateful,” she said. “The fact that we get to be in the World Cup this year, playing in Boston, where there’s so much Haitian diversity here, is just so amazing.”
The group broke into song before boarding the bus.
At a separate celebration at the Foxborough home of Charlot Lucien, about 30 Haiti fans gathered to march to the stadium. Those without tickets would watch the game from his house.
“We want to gather in front of the house, and then we’ll organize them in Grenadye fashion so that we can walk to the estad and enjoy glory,” Lucien said, using the Haitian Creole word for stadium.
At his gathering, a pastor delivered a prayer: May the Lord grant victory to the Haitian squad.
Then, it was time to eat. On a long table in the backyard were steaming trays of rice, beans, shrimp and chicken — along with fresh juices and cocktails. Even fans on the opposing side were welcome to partake.
“We’re Scottish, we like to drink lots of beer and have some friendly rum,” said Ged Evans, who traveled to Foxborough from Livingston, Scotland, with his son. “So we came to the Haiti party to enjoy the different culture and taste their alcoholic drinks.”
Meanwhile, bands of Scots were arriving at the stadium on the yellow school buses, pulling into a 1,400-person tailgate. Fans gathered in groups to juggle a soccer ball and share impressions of America. Many also voiced frustration with FIFA, the World Cup organizing body charging high prices for tickets to the matches.
Steph Collins brought a homemade sign to show his irritation with the prices.
“ Football was built on pies, Bovrils,” which is like a beef tea, “and going to the game with your dad,” he read aloud. “Not VIP lounges, $80 trains, $20 beers and $500 for tickets, and that’s the cheap ones.”
At the tailgate, members of the Tartan Army said they spent anywhere from $1,400 to $10,000 all-in to be there, including tickets, travel and accommodations. Ian Cox, who organized the buses from Rhode Island, said the costs have been a huge pain point. But he was focused on fans’ passion for the game.
“I think that this is not about FIFA and that this is not FIFA’s game,” he said. “This is our game, and they rent it from us and we get to take it back.”
Once the match began, all that was set aside. In the first half, fan-favorite Scottish midfielder John McGinn scored the only goal of the game. Pandemonium broke out in the stadium and at the fan fest watch party in downtown Boston.
Back in Lucien’s living room, the atmosphere was tense. Haiti was in control for much of the game, but the story was one of missed opportunities. When Scotland scored, it was a ball that ricocheted off the leg of a Haitian defender.
Minutes ahead of the final whistle, Haiti missed a header that would have tied the game. The Scottish team prevailed, besting Haiti 1-0.
The loss was painful for those pinning so much hope on the Haitian soccer team. But everyone agreed Haiti put up a valiant fight.
“Haitians, we never lose hope. Yes, we are resilient,” said Marie Evangeline Roussel Lucien, Charlot Lucien’s wife
Standing at her stove, Roussel Lucien had one more offering for her guests — a pot of sweet ginger lemon tea.
“It’s kind of a healing tea, you know? It helps accept exactly the fact that things didn’t turn out the way you expected,” she said. “But guess what? We still have to calm down and hope for the best for next time.”
As Haitian fans headed back to their homes, the Scots were riding high on the win. Amid the revelry, some were critical of the gameplay, however. They said Haiti fought hard, and didn’t feel Scotland put on their best. As Gail Keil left the stadium, she said her team had a lot to work on.
“I guess sort of pre-match nerves and playing somebody we’ve never seen before is different, but it just needs to be a lot more chances,“ Keil said. “I think Haiti had more than Scotland, which we’d kind of hope for the opposite.”
Scotland and Haiti now face teams ranked among the best in the world — Morocco and Brazil, respectively — to fight for a spot in the next round of the tournament.
For many, there was a long trip back to Boston on Saturday night. There was little signage to get to the train, and a chaotic scene the dragged on to the wee hours, with rowdy fans who’d been drinking for hours. Some in the crowd had choice words for America’s transit system.
Moments before the commuter rail pulled up to the Foxborough platform, the Scots were singing again.
“Show me the way to go home,” they chorused. “I’m tired and I want to go to bed … I had a little drink about an hour ago and it’s gone right to my head.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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