Massachusetts officially began hosting Men's FIFA World Cup matches on Saturday for the first time since 1994, drawing large crowds of international soccer fans to Boston City Hall Plaza and Foxborough.
Team USA secured a 4-1 victory against Paraguay in its opening match, sparking intense celebrations at the City Hall Plaza watch party during stoppage time.
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Local authorities engaged directly with fans during the festivities. "Community policing looks a bit different when the FIFA World Cup is in town!"
the department wrote on Facebook.
Sergeant Connor Hardy, a former soccer player at St. Anselm's, showed off his skills in front of attendees.
"It's funny, a bunch of the fans, both American and Scottish fans, were playing with the ball, I think they thought I was going to be the fun police," Hardy said.
"I did actually steal their ball, but then I just kind of ran with it... It was all in good fun."
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Supporters from Scotland also arrived to support their national team.
Craig Ferguson walked across the country for charity, reaching his target of 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) for men's mental health awareness upon his Friday arrival at Boston Common.
"Times I didn't think I could do it, times I was close to giving up. But they don't teach the words 'giving up' in Scotland," Ferguson said.
Massport Builds World's Largest Soccer Ball
The Massachusetts Port Authority participated by constructing a massive soccer ball measuring 47.9 feet in diameter at Piers Park II in East Boston to greet incoming fans at the airport.
"Boston is officially home to the world's largest soccer ball, and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate this record-breaking achievement as FIFA World Cup action gets underway this weekend," said Rich Davey, Massport CEO.
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Match schedules continue with Scotland preparing to play Haiti at Boston Stadium.
