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Australian fans attend Texas Rangers game
Australia fans are in North Texas ahead of Friday's Round of 32 match against Egypt. And many of them spent Thursday at a different sort of sporting event.
ARLINGTON, Texas - Australian soccer fans in town for tomorrow's match against Egypt caught a different game tonight. The Texas Rangers welcomed the Aussies, who brought plenty of green and gold to America's pastime.
Down Under at the Diamond
What we know:
Australians are no strangers to baseball. But to experience "America's pastime" in Arlington was an opportunity the "Socceroos" did not want to miss out on.
Australia will play Egypt in a knockout match at Dallas Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The Rangers offered fans discounted tickets to Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers and made sure they felt like part of the home crowd with rally towels and all.
What they're saying:
"You do know that we call this ‘America’s pastime,’ right?" FOX 4 asked one fan.
"Yeah, we’ve heard it’s like cricket. Everyone just drinks beer and watches the game," replied Sebastian Butler.
The Randall family has spent the past month traveling around North America. They’ve gone to every World Cup match for Australia.
"I guess we’re here for a sports trip, watching the World Cup. And so it’s something very American to do, to watch the baseball, to come out with other Americans and see what they enjoy doing for sports," Catherine Randell said.
"This has really been the most incredible experience," Daniel Randell added.
The cherry on top might be that he finally got at cowboy hat.
"I’ve been wanting a cowboy hat for years. And I thought, what a time to get it. Wear it to the baseball and wear it to the game tomorrow," he said.
One of the Aussie fans even caught a foul ball bare-handed.
What's next:
As for the World Cup, the "Socceroos have never won a knockout stage match, and fans are not expecting Egypt to be an easy team.
"So stressed, but I think we can do it. I think we can do it," Butler said.
When asked what it means to be a "Socceroo" fan, the Australian fans said it’s a lot of pride and love for their country. It’s also a bit like being a kangaroo. They are bouncy, happy, and fun people.
The Source: FOX 4’s Amelia Jones gathered the information for this story by talking to fans who attended Thursday night’s game.