He came scared. He left in love with America.

A German soccer fan named Sebastian arrived in the United States for the 2026 World Cup with two things in his luggage: excitement for the tournament and years of nerves built from the news he had watched back home. "To be honest I was a bit scared or had the fear to travel to the United States," he told NBC 10 Boston. "News about shootings and criminals and that the country is not safe." Then he went to a match in Boston. Afterward, he and his friends needed a ride to their hotel and met a local family led by a man named Bob, who offered them a lift without asking for anything back. Sebastian ended up extending his trip. He admitted he was sadder about leaving America than he was about Germany getting knocked out, which is a considerable thing for a German fan to say. "I fall in love with this country," he said. "I even cried in the stadium."