PORTLAND — As over 1,000 people packed up their lawn chairs and downed their last bit of sudsy beer at Thompson’s Point, Eli and Andrew Tenenbaum of Portland were still watching the TV screen under the old, relocated iron train depot roof.
They said they haven’t been huge soccer fans but caught World Cup fever, particularly for the U.S. men’s soccer team, which on Wednesday night earned its first knockout-round victory in World Cup play since 2002.
“We get excited for this,” Eli Tenenbaum said, with Andrew quickly adding, “absolutely when the US is kicking butt in the World Cup.”
Team USA claimed a tense 2-0 round of 32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s Stadium) in Santa Clara, California.
A 45th-minute goal by Folarin Balogun put the Americans on the board, prompting a reflexive building cheer. Earlier in the match — and again later — such cheers turned into disappointing groans when an offside call negated a would-be American goal.
The crowd was downright angry when Balogun was given a red card in the 64th minute. Down a man, Malik Tillman struck a direct kick into the top left corner for a 2-0 lead, prompting chants and cheers again.
Team USA will face Belgium in the round of 16 at 8 p.m. Monday in Seattle. Belgium shocked Senegal 3-2, scoring two late regulation-time goals to tie the game before winning with an overtime goal.
Jed Troubh, a co-owner of Thompson’s Point, said it’s possible the site will host another watch party for the Belgium game. Having a large covered area helps and good crowds show up for free admission events along the Fore River. Furthermore, the concert-and-event venue already has the infrastructure with beverage service and a bevy of loyal food truck providers.
“The crowd is probably a little more than we expected, actually, but we knew there was an upside to doing this,” Troubh said as the match began. “There’s so much excitement in the community and we saw the turnout in Monument Square (for the USA vs. Australia group stage match). And this is such a great spot with that nice ocean breeze.”
Before the match, Mike Ottman, 31, of Saco correctly predicted the 2-0 score — and the tone of the game.
“It’s going to be a grind for sure,” said Ottman, who attended with his brother Steven Ottman, as well as Mia Pivirotto of Portland and Hannah White of Saco.
“I think this World Cup is bringing everyone together. It’s a great conversation starter,” said White, who was wearing her lucky Christian Pulisic shirt.
The idea that soccer can foster community is something that visitors David Maddock of Newcastle, England, and Graham Matuszak of Dunlop Ayrshire on the western coast of Scotland said they’ve experienced in their multi-week stateside stay.
“It’s been such a lovely experience to find everyone so welcoming. And I hope people from here will also look at all the visitors and think they’d like to go to other countries,” Matuszak said.
Matuszak is traveling with his wife and children. He said they’ve driven 2,000 miles in their stay, which included watching Scotland lose 1-0 to Morocco at Boston (Gillette) Stadium and then going to Miami where Scotland finished up, then to the Sebago Lake area.
“I’ve seen no bother at all. All I’ve seen is positivity,” Matuszak said.
As Maddock said, soccer is “one sport that can bring the community together.”
Being with other people is why Meegan Daigler of Portland said she was at Thompson’s Point. A loyalist of soccer watching at The Zoo, a Portland soccer bar, Daigler said she’s always thought it was fun to watch sports with lots of people.
She was not surprised a big crowd came out Wednesday.
“I feel like a few years ago I probably would have been surprised but with the popularity of the (Portland) Hearts of Pine I’m not that surprised,” Daigler said. “They draw 6,000 fans week-in and week-out.”
The United States entered Wednesday’s game as the heavy favorite, based on the sports betting action and international rankings.
Team USA, which went 2-1 in group play, is ranked 14th among the 32 teams that entered the knockout round, 15th in the overall FIFA world standings. Bosnia-Herzegovina (1-1-1 in group play) was 30th among the remaining teams, 61st overall.
Maddock said what he noticed was the crowd’s relaxed approach. He said he believed nights like Wednesday will be catalysts for the continued growth of soccer in the United States.
“You want kids to watch this and be inspired.”
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