At the Algerian Delights bakery in Lenexa, Kansas, a crowd decked in the green and white colors of the Algerian soccer team mingled on the sidewalk, sat at small outdoor tables and on the hoods of cars Tuesday afternoon.
Most had driven in from out of town: Philadelphia, Boston, Denver and Oklahoma, finding the suburban bakery online in the early morning hours.
A statuesque, soft-spoken man by the name Arezki had driven overnight with a group of 10 from Denver.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “Who knows when the World Cup will be in the United States again, with Algeria qualifying? We couldn’t miss it.”
Arezki said there are thousands of Algerians in Denver, but not that many came out to watch the game because of the high ticket prices. He paid $800 for his tickets, but others milling around the bakery paid as much as $1,800.
Inside the small shop, people lined up to purchase traditional Algerian baked goods like Ktayef, a delicate phyllo pastry layered with nuts and soaked in honey syrup.
People of all ages draped themselves in the Algerian flag and wrapped their necks in green and white scarves. The space filled with both English and Arabic conversations as people checked their phones for directions to the nearest spot where they could leave cars and catch a bus to Arrowhead Stadium, aka Kansas City Stadium.
“We know it’s going to be crazy closer to the game,” Arezki said. “We’re want to be there several hours ahead.”
Amir Zerguine, 7, was beaming as he huddled with his family among the other Algerian fans. He’s a striker with his school team in Massachusetts, and says wants to one day play for the Algerian national team.
He’s convinced his team will triumph over the returning champions Argentina.
“Because we have a really good team,” he said with a knowing smile.
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The Zerguine family was driving across the country from Massachusetts, heading to California, and stopped in Kansas City to see their team compete.
Abdelbassat and Leila Zerguine said they felt lucky they have this opportunity.
“We got to stop in a few states, visit some sites and bond as a family," Zerguine said. “We’re glad to be in Kansas City to cheer on our team now.”
Salim Brahmi, a postal worker who drove with the Denver group, says he’d be happy with a draw.
“Let’s say 1-1 would be fine for us with the best team in the world... and we’ll what we gonna do with the other teams," Brahmi said. "We’ll go from there. Really fine with that.”
The Algeria-Argentina game kicks off at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
