Final game: USA 1-0 Algeria

Here it is, you can't really ask for a better game for your last one of the World Cup.

Rick and I got up around 7am to start our trip from Bloemfontien to Pretoria, which is just north of Johannesburg. The drive didn't take too long at all, and this time Rick got a chance to have a snooze on the trip.

There is one thing that I'm surprised isn't more dangerous. The way of clearing tall grass on the side of the highway or a field is with a controlled burn. They just light it on fire and let the wind and fire do the rest. I'm surprised that I haven't seen any burned down houses. Unfortunately, this means that stretches of the highway will smell burnt.

We did have to stop in Johannesburg so that rick could grab the keys to the guesthouse he was staying at. He dropped off ALL of his things there as well before we hit the road.

About 10 minutes into the drive we started talking about locations for round of 16 games. Rick has a guide that doubles as a ticket holder in his backpack, so i reach into the backseat to grab it and that's when we realize that he left it at the guesthouse. Good thing we caught that early, as his ticket was still in there. Oops, it wasn't like this was his 11th game so far - you would think he had it figured out that you need a ticket to gain entry....

We got into the stadium about 90 minutes before kickoff and we spotted Marcel in the stands. The place was actually starting to get quite full, with lots of Algerians and Americans. I have been impressed at how well supported the USA has been in South Africa, there were so many people here from the USA that came out just for the World Cup.

The game itself was fantastic for a neutral and put us USA fans on a roller coaster ride that thankfully ended with a sweet return to the station instead of flying off the tracks. It actually looked like it would do that early on when a defensive mistake resulted in Algeria blasting the ball off of the crossbar when he looked odds on to score.

As you know, Landon scored in injury time to send us to the round of 16. When the goal was scored, i was jumping up and down with one foot on my seat and one on the seat back in front of me just shouting "we did it" over and over. It has to be the most overcome I have been with emotion this entire trip.

The USA fans stayed in the stadium for another 30 minutes celebrating, which was a fantastic show of support. You can even see Marcel here waving his scarf and loving every last second.

The US team came over and had their celebration in front of us as well. You really could tell how much this meant to the entire team, even those who haven't played a single minute yet.

From here, we went to a place called Hatfield square where there was a mini fan-fest thing set up. It wasn't a FIFA one, it was just one that was done by the city in this square that was full of bars and restaurants. On the way out of the stadium, there were still hundreds of USA fans still jumping, singing, and dancing. It really was a wonderful sight to see. I took this picture about 45 minutes after the final whistle.

Hatfield Square was a rocking place and it was packed with a good mix of Americans, South Africans, and Algerians. There was no trouble to speak of, everyone just wanted a good night out. We all watched the evening games, and we got great match ups out of them. USA get to play Ghana, who beat us in Germany 4 years ago, and in probably the tie of the round (for a neutral) England will take on Germany.

We stayed out in Hatfield Square until almost 3am. I can't even remember the last time I was out until after 10pm! I guess that's what being responsible will do to you. Believe it or not, I was actually pretty responsible despite being out so late. I did manage to get ribs and hot wings from a fantastically named restaurant here!

I also recognized another guy who is doing a world cup blog. I saw the cowboy hat and said "Is your name Jeremy?" Of course it was and we had actually been reading each other's blogs. Here is where you can find his: http://worldcupjeremy.blogspot.com/.

Well, it has been a fantastic two weeks of soccer, friendship, and education. I got to see some old friends, make some new ones, and see what a World Cup and do for a country. I do hope that South Africa can follow the progress they have made here - not just on the field but off it as well.