Peterborough United fan from Ohio prepares for EFL Trophy final
"After that I just became a big fan of them, I was hooked after that," Mr Smith said.
"Believe it or not, there's five or six of us here that have Peterborough kits now."
Derrick Smith
His passion since then has known no bounds, having even taken a 20-hour round trip from the US to watch Peterborough take on Manchester City in one day in 2022.
"That was a little crazy, I'll admit that," he conceded.
"But there's nothing more real than smelling the grass, getting a little bit of rain on you, having a pint with your friends and watching the match."
The passionate fan drew comparisons between his home city and Peterborough, saying both were quieter and lesser-known on an international scale.
He continued: "I resonate with Peterborough being a smaller city, but it's also one of the first towns I got to explore on my own in England.
"I got a really good chance to meet the community and hang out in the square.
"I like the fact Peterborough is more blue collar, working class and a place that feels like home to me."
Derrick Smith
As for Sunday's cup final, "kegs with eggs" - or beer with breakfast - is on the menu for when the game kicks off at 10:00 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
"Kegs and eggs is the vibe, it's a big tailgate atmosphere when we watch sport like that," Mr Smith added.
"If we don't have a fry up at my place then we'll probably go out to a pub.
"Then we'll have everyone looking at us like 'who's that team playing Birmingham?' – it'll be fun."
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