PRETORIA – Before the Uruguay vs. South Africa game in Pretoria, South Africa on Wednesday, I huddled in the cold alone, draped in a South African flag, amidst thousands of South African fans. Together, with fans of Uruguay and many nationalities, we anticipated what we thought could be the biggest game in South African football history. Yet, we could not converse about the big event above the deafening noise of vuvuzelas blaring in (and out of) unison. The crowd noise made the PA announcer’s starting lineup introductions inaudible.

During the World Cup’s opening match of Mexico vs. South Africa in Johannesburg, us Americans joined together with South Africans at the Pretoria fan park to cheer Bafana Bafana to an unexpected 1-1 tie. This time was different.

Bafana Bafana and the game came to Pretoria. All day leading up to South Africa’s second game, security guards at the hotel, vendors selling RSA flags on the street, all football fans and even the homeless chattered about Bafana Bafana and the excitement surrounding the game.

When the 8:30 P.M. kickoff time approached, I was no longer in a group like at the fan park. This time, as we scrounged around the stadium looking for tickets, the masses had already separated us. Thousands of South Africans, granted free tickets by FIFA, flocked to the stadium, waiting eagerly for kickoff. Fortunately, a South African with an extra ticket gave me one.

At around 8:27 P.M., with the stadium already full, I walked along the field with hundreds of security guards conveniently decked in Bafana Bafana yellow protecting the field. I looked up, and the scene was unreal. No seat was empty – nobody who even lived miles from Pretoria would miss this game.

I barely squeezed into my section, which definitely had more people than seats. I glanced around, and I was definitely the only American within sight. It didn’t matter because I was there with a South African flag to support Bafana Bafana. Just as every South African, ecstatic about hosting the world cup, has done since I got here, the people in my section kindly embraced my presence and my loyalty to Bafana Bafana. This was an event and a game for a lifetime.

I recalled what the South African shuttle driver, April, told me on the way from the Johannesburg airport to my Pretoria hotel: “Kindness is the key. We (South Africans) are trying to make an imprint on the world. People are going to want come back.”

The South African national anthem played, Vuvuzuelas (noisemaking horns) blared, the yellow and green colored flags waved and fans of Bafana Bafana sang until their lungs burst.

Unfortunately for a band of local club players, ranked 84th in the world, who tied Mexico in an epic opening match draw, the miracle run toward the second round screeched to a halt. We watched in frustrated silence as Uruguay took control of the game and eventually closed out the game in the final seconds with a 3rd goal, making it 3-0.

Emptiness finally met the constant enthusiasm head on. But, for a country racked with so much past hardship, a disappointing result would not ruin their spirit in the spotlight.

Eighty-seven minutes in, one man began to sing an inspirational song about saving men from Johannesburg mines. Then, everyone seemed to know the song and joined in. Of course, the friendly South African people filled me in on what was going on. A lot of people came to South Africa scared of mugging and sex slaving. All I see is kindness even as the dream run came to a crash

—Philip Deutsch