However, on Saturday evening, fans of Manchester United and Liverpool flocked in their droves to the Williams-Brice Stadium, a monolithic arena usually bedecked in the ‘garnet and black’ of hometown NCAA side, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
Coming from a British perspective, it’s equal parts astounding and commendable that tens of thousands of people come and sit on elementally exposed bleachers to cheer on amateur college athletes, with facilities for players, press and punters easily comparable to most European soccer stadia.
But they’re clearly sports-mad in these parts: someone told me it’s the US state with the most interest in the Premier League, per capita.