America's love affair with Scottish football fans has become official. Glasgow is to be formally twinned with Boston after the Tartan Army's takeover of the World Cup host city.
A letter of intent was signed at The Haven, the city's only dedicated Scottish bar, which thousands of football fans have flocked to during the tournament. Boston mayor Michelle Wu, who wore a Scotland shirt for the announcement, thanked the Tartan Army for 'making our city come alive'.
Over 20,000 fans are estimated to have travelled to Boston for the group matches against Haiti and Morocco. Mayor Wu said the two cities had 'many similarities'.
She said: 'Boston is clearly the best host city for the World Cup right now, and that is thanks in large part to the Tartan Army. We are the city of champions, so we knew that this was going to be a great experience for us.'
Meanwhile, the mayor admitted she placed a traffic cone on a statue of basketball icon Bill Russell in the city to follow the Tartan Army's footsteps. The bizarre practice is familiar to people from Glasgow, where the Duke of Wellington statue at the Gallery of Modern Art has been wearing a cone since the 1980s.
Wu added: 'I think we may see some lingering traditions from their visit, and I have to admit I also put a cone on Bill Russell's head outside. It's been fun. I mean, the cones are pretty fun.' She added: 'I think that it's such a sense of playful, joyful surprise when you can see that happening.'
It comes after around 5,000 Scotland football supporters staying in nearby Rhode Island were praised for helping to raise money for local charities. Meanwhile, Boston bars had to order extra booze to avoid fans drinking them dry.
The Sam Adams taproom bought more alcohol after the bar sold 3,000 pints of its Boston lager over the course of 48 hours. The Dubliner, next door to the Fifa fanfest in the city, said it had had the busiest week in its history. The Tartan Army have conquered the US to watch their nation play in their first World Cup since 1998.
