How warm World Cup welcome is endearing US to fans

NEW YORK — Ahead of the World Cup, many international fans were skeptical of the idea of the U.S. as co-hosts for soccer's biggest tournament. There were worries over visa access, high costs, gun violence, a lack of local interest in the sport and more. While those worries have not been entirely dispelled, as the tournament has got under way social media has been flooded with posts from fans visiting the country for the first time and discovering something more positive — a distinctive culture of 24-hour retail, free soda refills, chicken wings dipped in ranch dressing and a warm welcome from Americans. "I met these two gorgeous girls from Boston. It was her birthday, she was having cocktails. I bought her another one and they kept saying 'welcome to Boston, Massachusetts!'," said "Tartan Army" Scottish fan Gail Nicholl, in a Boston pub ahead of her team's first game against Haiti. "They loved us, we loved them ... Everyone is so friendly, so nice." "Something new for me is how friendly and outgoing everyone is," said a Swiss fan from Zurich on a Reddit forum replete with praise froWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times