Dearborn — Local soccer fans of all ages and backgrounds converged on a Dearborn park Friday to cheer on the U.S. men’s team to its second win in the World Cup, with many hopeful they’ll continue their winning streak in the knockout round.
American flags flapped in the breeze as fans erupted in cheers at Peace Park West as the U.S. shut out Australia 2-0 during their game in Seattle.
Mateusz Szved, 38, said he’s really excited for the team’s chances in the knockout round with the U.S.’s strong performance in Friday’s game. The country will play Turkey on Thursday.
“They’re just in a really, really good position,” Szved said.
He said Alex Freeman scoring the second goal for the team was among his favorite moments in the match.
“That was a huge push forward for the game,” he said.
The crowd at Peace Park West included people of all ages, adults and kids. Khurram Aziz of Canton brought his two kids to cheer on the U.S. men’s team during the second game of the group stage. He said he got into soccer when his son, Bilal, started playing about four years ago.
“I started loving football the day he started playing football,” Aziz said.
Bilal, 12, said he plays midfield and defense.
“I want to see the U.S. win,” he said.
Friday’s game came after the U.S. men’s team defeated Paraguay 4-1 in their first game of the group stage. With the win against Australia, they’ll move on to the knockout round.
Detroit City Football Club has watch parties planned throughout the World Cup.
A watch party for Team USA’s Friday game also took place at Campus Martius Park. The June 25 match will be televised at Detroit City Fieldhouse, 3401 E. Lafayette St., in Detroit.
Jordan Wardell, who’s been a soccer fan for 15 years since he watched the World Cup when he was 12, said it felt really good to see the U.S. score so soon into the game because the team tends to struggle. But he’s optimistic about the team’s chances to keep going in the competition this year.
“Hopefully, they’ll make it further than they ever have before,” he said.
jcardi@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Local soccer fans celebrate second U.S. win in World Cup
Reporting by Julia Cardi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Julia Cardi, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
