25,000 maniacs

How many US fans are expected in Germany this summer? I'd estimate something like five, maybe eight thousand, but the Arizona Republic predicts that the numbers will be much larger, along the lines of 20-25,000. I'm not sure what the basis for their prediction is, but if true it's fantastic news from the perspective of the growth of support for the beautiful game in this country.

One of the strongest indicators of increased support is ticket sales. While the USSF had plenty of leftover seats for both France and Korea, this time around the US was a hot and difficult to get ticket. The USSF had 10,000 tix available but received 40,000 requests. The AZ Republic reports that tix are going for over $300 on the "black market" (scare word that seems to refer to secondary markets like eBay), which is even higher than the ridiculously high rates that resellers quoted me when I was still in the market for a ticket to the Ghana game.

As for my personal trip to Germany, things are looking better all the time. I just received the great news that a good friend of mine (and mirarchi's) will be joining up with us for about a week. While this is fantastic news in many senses, I fear that his presence may create beer shortages in Berlin and throughout the local area. But I still need to get on accommodations in both Ktown and Nburg, as well as get a Weltmeister pass.