DALLAS -- The sights, sounds, and smells of a Rodeo are pretty much what you’d expect. It’s a man with a southern accent, saying very American things, the stomping of cows on dirt, country music blaring. It’s cowboy hats, cheap American beer, and a little bit too much food.
But for a weird, brief, baffling few minutes on Tuesday evening, England fans made it theirs. The twang stopped, and Neil Diamond started. One of those awkward renditions of Sweet Caroline - the unofficial anthem of England’s many tournament exploits (most of them unsuccessful) - kicked off.
And then it went quiet again - back to normal. Such has been the case with England and Dallas. This is the most stereotypically American of places, and England fans have embraced it as such. The connotations of England fans on the road are so often negative. But this outwardly American World Cup has brought about an outwardly American experience for traveling supporters.
“I’ve hired a great big [Dodge] Ram truck, two and a half liter. It's the biggest thing I've ever seen. So I'm driving that around Texas. It felt really, really American to me,” Howard Taylor, a prominent England fan, told GOAL, taking a brief respite from a lounge on the beach in Galveston, Texas.
Major tournaments are a tricky thing to figure out for traveling fans. Usually, they’re packed into relatively small areas. There is a “home base” to start at, and, traditionally, relatively short journeys from place to place. America, though, is a different proposition. England’s three group games are in Dallas, Boston, and New York. Travel for the first three games alone adds up to around 2,000 miles. For the casual football fan, it’s a headache. For the most loyal of supporters, it’s a chance to holiday.
“It's been quite a long trip,” Taylor explained. “I first came to America on the 21st of May, And I'm not planning on leaving until England lose, so I provisionally got a flight booked out of New York, a couple of days after the final.”
Taylor has used this particular tournament as a good excuse for an extended holiday. His journey started at the end of May, when he flew into Orlando with his children and granddaughters. He planned to stay there for 17 days - but took a brief interlude to fly to Leipzig to see his beloved Crystal Palace claim the UEFA Conference League. It baffled American immigration officials, who weren’t so familiar with his football fandom.
“They couldn't actually figure out why I left for 60 hours to go to a foreign country and come back again with a rucksack. Immigration just couldn't get it when I went into the interrogation room. Luckily, the bloke there was an Atletico Madrid fan and understood football, and I had the Crystal Palace top on,” Taylor said.
The journey continued. Key Largo came next. Then Key West. Then it was off to Miami, Galveston, and now, Dallas. Of course, there is a pickup truck involved. There will be stops to come elsewhere in Texas to learn about American history in the state, then a journey to New York and Boston.
Toronto is next on the list, assuming that’s a likely Round of 32 destination. But he is prepared to book flights to Miami, if needed. The only other plan is a flight home, set for after the final.
“It’s mental, isn’t it?” Taylor said with a laugh.
That would be one way of describing things. But his journey is, well, a little bit insane. His first England away game was a trip to Munich to see the Three Lions batter Germany, 5-1. He was going through a divorce at the time, and, needing something to be a part of, he signed up for the England Supporters’ Travel Club. He has only missed one away game since 2007. This is his sixth World Cup. Taylor has developed a bit of a reputation, too.
He participated in a Lockdown Quiz over Zoom against then-manager Gareth Southgate (and won). At Euro 2012, he dressed as Freddie Flintstone and charged at roughly 150 riot police in full costume.
“I lived to tell the tale,” he pointed out.
