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Harry McClurg of Fife, Scotland, had been planning this since the night Scotland qualified. He and three friends, Rebecca Foy, Declan Morgan and Shannon Worth, booked the trip almost immediately. A banker, an engineer, a retail worker and one who serves in the Royal Air Force, each took time off work. They flew across an ocean for soccer because Scotland had fought its way back to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
For many, Boston was too expensive, so they found a rental here instead, arrived on Tuesday and walked into a town they had never heard of.
They were far from alone. Boston's prices had pushed thousands of Scots outward, into Salem and other North Shore towns, in search of anywhere they could afford. Scotland's traveling supporters had descended on Greater Boston in numbers between 20,000 and 30,000, with some officials estimating as high as 50,000. Scotland drew two of its three group stage games at Gillette Stadium, and the supporters filled bars downtown, marched on Fenway Park, then scattered outward. The spillover put kilts on commuter trains and sporrans (the small pouch worn with the kilt) in seaside cafes far from any stadium.
And the town pulled them in, they said. They went to Abbot Hall and saw the "Spirit of '76." They climbed out to Fort Sewall and looked at the harbor from Fort Beach along Front Street. Strangers kept stopping them on the street because of the kilts. In cafes, in shops, from car windows, people wanted to talk.
"We've met so many nice people since we got here," McClurg said.
The fans of Scotland are just as open and welcoming, he said.
"As soon as you follow Scotland, you're part of the Tartan Army," he said.
The man who chose Corfu
Rhod Sharp, who lives in Marblehead and spent decades broadcasting for the BBC, understands what brought them here. Sharp grew up watching Scotland at World Cups, the tournaments a recurring part of his life. Then they stopped coming.
"I can go back further than that," Sharp said in a recent message. "A watershed in my life occurred in 1986 when the legendary Scottish team captained by Graham Souness played in the World Cup. I lived in San Francisco at the time and had to choose between going to Corfu with my girlfriend Vicki or going with the lads to Mexico."
"They had a brilliant time, and so, of course did I," he said. "Yes I did go to Corfu."
It was a choice he made once. But for McClurg and his friends, there was no choice to make. Scotland was here. They had to be.
"We're all born after 1998," McClurg said, "so we've never seen Scotland in a World Cup."
Michael Evans of Dundee, Scotland, had done the same math. He and his group, which included Billy Donnelly and John Iannetta, looked beyond Boston and rented an Airbnb in Marblehead.
"When we planned our trip it became apparent that the costs were going to be high," Evans said. "Match ticket $500, flight around $1,000. We realized that hotels and accommodation in Boston was very expensive so we decided to look a bit further afield."
A laundry shop held his bags for half a day after he had to vacate early. The conversations started the moment they arrived and never really stopped.
"From the second we arrived, the kilts grab the attention and we had dozens of great friendly discussions in cafes, restaurants and pubs," Evans said. "It would be easier to say who didn't strike up a conversation."
A laundry shop, a lobster boat
Evans said Marblehead opened itself to him. "A kind lady insisted in showing me her 300 year old house and a guy in the pub offered us a trip to catch lobsters," Evans said. "Jason's boat trip, Java Cafe, The Five Corners and just about every car driver or person in their garden wanted to chat or offer welcomes and support."
His group even turned up briefly on the BBC's evening news, posed in front of a studio backdrop of fans and the World Cup trophy. He found it very funny.
Evans described the Tartan Army, Scotland's traveling supporters, as Scottish people at their best. "The Tartan Army shows what Scottish people are really like," Evans said. "Humorous, resourceful and very proud to be from Scotland. A chance to not be identified as British or English."
The supporters arrive, he said, "always hopeful but never confident."
The hope had reason. Scotland fought through qualifying to reach the tournament, beating Denmark 4-2 in Glasgow in November in a final match fans say they still recite goal by goal. Scotland then opened the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Haiti, its first World Cup victory in decades, and went into the Morocco match atop its group. But Scotland had never advanced beyond the group stage in any of its previous appearances.
"If Scotland qualifies it would be like winning the World Cup," Evans said, "as we have never progressed after the first round."
Back in town, McClurg and his friends had a day before the Morocco match on Friday. After that, they would fly to Miami for the Brazil match.
They came for the World Cup. They found something else too.
"Supporting Scotland is a chance to go to see them on foreign fields with friends or family and have a bloody good laugh and a few beers," Evans said. "Football is massive in Scotland."
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