INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The scene at the stadium was one familiar to American sports enthusiasts: a sea of fans adorned in team jerseys, faces painted in patriotic hues of red, white, and blue, cheering fervently as their heroes entered the arena.
However, this particular event wasn’t centered around America’s traditional pastimes. It was a soccer match.
On Friday, the U.S. Men’s National Team kicked off their World Cup campaign with a thrilling home opener, drawing a crowd of over 70,000 devoted soccer fans to the sprawling stadium near Los Angeles. The supporters were there to witness a commanding 4-1 victory against Paraguay, a testament to the sport’s burgeoning popularity in a country where it has often played second fiddle to other athletic pursuits. Many attendees shelled out substantial sums to experience the electrifying atmosphere of the world’s most prestigious soccer tournament, signaling a shift in the American sports landscape.
For many of these fans, soccer has been a lifelong passion. It’s a sport they were introduced to in childhood, playing in recreational leagues before continuing into high school and college. Nakisha Gutierrez, a 37-year-old occupational therapist from Los Angeles, embodies this enduring enthusiasm. Raised in a soccer-loving household by her Argentine father, she and her sister embraced the sport early on and are now passing down the tradition to younger family members.
“It’s in the family blood,” Gutierrez remarked, her face adorned with shimmering red and blue stars. “It is the American culture — it’s starting to be.”
The World Cup is played every four years, and fans around the world track their national teams, hoping they’ll have a strong enough showing to qualify for it. In many countries — like Friday’s opponent, Paraguay — just making it to the tournament can prompt street parties, fireworks and national holidays. In the United States, though, the response is often a bit more muted. Soccer has long been overshadowed by football, basketball and “America’s pastime” of baseball.
But soccer’s popularity has risen in the United States since the country last hosted the World Cup in 1994. Major League Soccer was launched two years later, and soccer has become especially popular among young athletes.
There was palpable joy in the air for U.S. fans watching the match as Folarin Balogun scored an electric two goals in the first half of the game, and star player Christian Pulisic made a shot that led to a Paraguay own goal. But the stadium was aroar when Gio Reyna sealed Paraguay’s fate with a late fourth goal during added time.
Samuel Esquivel, 9, said he was screaming when the match ended.
“That was probably, like, the second best goal,” he said of Reyna’s shot. He started playing soccer last year and said he already wants to win a World Cup.
His father Roman Esquivel said they came from a family that played football, basketball, and baseball. But Esquivel’s daughter and son both fell in love with soccer, and their enthusiasm for the game has spread to him as well.
“It’s the most beautiful sport in the world,” he said. “There’s a reason why the whole world plays soccer.”
Interest has also been buoyed by immigrants from countries where, as Gutierrez puts it, “soccer is life.”
Ava Cupit, 14, traveled with her family from Franklin, Tennessee, to cheer on the U.S. team, dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. Her great-grandfather was from Spain and helped bring soccer to their small town, where he built fields and promoted the sport.
“He made us all fall in love with it, and our whole family loves soccer,” Ava’s mother Rachel Cupit said. “The people who’ve married in, they’ve just become a part of it too.”
In the massive stadium in Inglewood, California, usually home to football games, seats were a sea of red and white. Fans wore glitter, Stars-and-Stripes high-tops, overalls, robes and the team’s hallmark jerseys. Some dressed as that ultimate symbol of American patriotism, Uncle Sam, with long white beards and top hats. A few wore George Washington costumes.
They came to show their support for their team, and to show that Americans, like the rest of the world, can be passionate about soccer, too. Many were trying to attend all of the U.S. team’s group round matches. One spectator said he came from Texas after seeing the U.S. team previously face off in international matches before large crowds backing their opponents.
Self-proclaimed soccer “addict” Jose Contreras said he grew up playing the sport with his uncle in Mexico because it was cheap and accessible. He flew from Georgia to support the U.S. in its opening match, even though there are games he could attend in Atlanta, closer to home.
“This is one of the happiest days of my life,” Contreras said.
___
AP World Cup coverage: