World Cup means tight security – especially for the U.S. team

PRETORIA, South Africa – I arrived at my little home away from home last night. Nice place. Best thing: it’s literally about 400 meters from the U.S. hotel and the quaint farm / lodge where media availability is held.

So this morning the kind lady who runs my B&B tells me a funny story. Her place, by the way, is in a quiet little gated suburb just around the corner from the U.S. digs.

“The other night there was a terrible, awful ruckus," she told me. "You know, we just don’t get much of anything like that around here. I thought there had been a terrible incident. Then, suddenly, there were helicopters! And they came swooping down with huge, bright lights, shining them right into the garden here and all over the house. I thought they were looking for Al-Qaeda!

“And then I realized what was happening. ‘Ah, the Americans are here.’ They were just arriving.”

Security is a priority here. By choosing a site beyond the city centers, the American camp is strategically isolated from many of the “normal” security concerns of a developing nation, namely the day-to-day crime. But there are larger level issues, obviously. Players and staff are not allowed to venture out without security.

(Me, on the other hand, well I’m just gonna take my chances and run a risk analysis whenever I want to venture out of my own little green zone. You know: “How much do I really need that late beer at the pub?” … that kind of thing.)