The Tartan Army is commiserating after Scotland were formally knocked out of the World Cup on Saturday.
Despite their win against Haiti, Scotland lost to both Morocco and Brazil, stacking the odds less and less in their favour, amid other determinant matches throughout the wider World Cup that did not line up as hoped.
Despite the defeat, the Tartan Army enjoyed weeks of not just seeing their team play across the pond, but sunshine, marches, other sports games, including baseball, and plenty of partying.
In the opening days of Scotland’s journey in the World Cup, thousands of followers flocked to Boston, Massachusetts, where they were warmly welcomed.
Not a traffic cone nor beer keg within the city was safe as the Scots decorated statues and other objects with cones in the spirit of Glasgow’s Duke of Wellington statue, and bars and planes traversing the Scots to the city were drunk dry.
Pubs and restaurants around the city spoke warmly of the Scottish, who they praised for their love for football, a party, and for showing respect in their city.
They mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, met with reporters back on June 19, where she had said she expected to see some “lingering traditions” from Bostonians after the cone trend started in the city.
There came a point where counting the number of statues in the city without the cones would have been the faster option, as Ms Wu herself admitted she also placed one on the head of basketball hero Bill Russell, featured outside the City Hall.
The mayor then officially made Glasgow and Boston sister cities in a ceremony led at The Haven, Boston’s only official Scottish pub, which became one of the city’s leading hubs for the fans.
Ms Wu also praised the Tartan Army for bringing positive energy to the city and for cleaning up after themselves along the way.
'No Scotland, no party’ has been absolutely been stuck in my head all the time
“‘No Scotland, no party’ has been absolutely been stuck in my head all the time,” she said.
Another huge feat witnessed by Boston was Craig Ferguson’s completion of his charity tartan trek, where he walked from one side of the States to the other, starting at Santa Monica beach, finishing in Boston 3,000 miles later.
The 22-year-old completed the challenge on June 13 in the Boston Common park, and with donations still open, his appeal has now raised £1.1 million for SAMH, beating his target of £1 million.
The First Minister also travelled to the city, where he met with officials, attended a Gala night with various Scottish celebrities, and, like many other Tartan Army followers in Boston, he described the atmosphere as “electric”.
John Swinney previously said: “The atmosphere is electric here in Boston, it has been since we arrived.
“There are thousands and thousands of Scotland fans who have made the journey and the atmosphere is lively, it’s positive.
“It’s great weather and people are having a great time and engaging with the local community here in Boston. Everyone has had such a warm welcome from the Boston community, so its a fantastic situation to be part of.”
Scotland then won against Haiti, with fans celebrating at the match and in the various hotspots for Scots throughout Boston – including watch parties at The Haven, the fan zone, and The Dubliner.
With the Morocco match then round the corner, the Tartan Army swapped out football for baseball, pledging their support to the city’s Red Sox team, who lost against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park on June 14.
This did not appear to dampen the spirits of the Scots nor the Red Sox fans, with supporters of the latter stating it was the liveliest game they had been to in years.
In the days from then until the Morocco match, the Tartan Army enjoyed lots of other games, including Norway’s victory over Iraq, and England’s win over Croatia.
Scotland fans then endured a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Morocco on June 19, before regrouping in Miami, Florida.
In a similar takeover witnessed in Boston, thousands of Scots paraded the streets in two separate events, and were well-received by the citizens on the city, including the police and fire services.
While Scots had hoped for better fortune, they were later beaten by Brazil, but still partied regardless as both nations’ fans displayed the friendliest of rivalries.
The remaining days saw the oceans of blue and coral-coloured home and away jerseys dwindle as the Tartan Army made their way home, or to other parts of the US to enjoy some other World Cup games, or for holidays elsewhere.