The country where the most World Cup match tickets were bought, outside Brazil, was the US. Why, asks Tom Geoghegan.

Nearly 200,000 match tickets were bought in the US, which comes as some surprise given that "soccer" is still way behind US sports in popularity. The next biggest market was Argentina, a long way behind, followed by Germany, England and Colombia, according to Fifa.

The number of US fans travelling overseas isn't surprising to Christopher Harris, editor and publisher of WorldSoccerTalk.com. "US Soccer has done a fantastic job marketing to the audience, who have disposable income, love sports and don't mind spending thousands of dollars to support their country."

Soccer is a perfect embodiment of American patriotism, he says, with very few US sports having a national sports team that can compete with the best in the world.

A major reason for the recent increase in travelling fans is the growing popularity of the American Outlaws supporters group, says Harris, which has 135 chapters nationwide and flew three charter planes to Brazil. There, they have outnumbered most other fans, inside and outside the stadiums. Not long ago, it was hard to find the USA football shirt in shops, now they're ubiquitous in Brazil. One long-time USA fan, Jason Burak told Slate the transformation has made him well up.

Mark true (T) or false (F) according to text.

I. US fans have bought loads of World Cup tickets.

II. The United States is the world’s second-largest market for World Cup tickets, behind only the host.

III. It was something unexpected having such considerable number of tickets purchased in the US.

IV. The reason for the huge boost in ticket sales in the US is that “soccer” is amongst their most favorite sports.

V. Soccer lacks the essential personification of American patriotism.