World Cup: Watch Team USA play at these Southland spots
Free watch parties for the broadcasts of the U.S.'s opening game of the 2022 World Cup are set for Monday at several locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Doors to Dignity Health Sports Park's Legends Plaza will open at 10 a.m. with English and Spanish language broadcasts of the Group B game against Wales from Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar beginning at 11 a.m.
The Los Angeles Football Club will host a watch party at Santa Monica Brew Works with doors opening at 10 a.m. The party will include food and drink specials, LAFC and partner giveaways and a chance to see the MLS Cup trophy. Both the U.S. and Wales include an LAFC player on their rosters: U.S. midfielder Kellyn Acosta and Wales forward Gareth Bale.
The excitement was palpable amongst fans at Brew Works, who were ready to get the match underway hours before the scheduled start time.
"The vibes here are crazy," said one of many fans, who could be heard chanting "USA! USA!" throughout the match.
The game will be the first World Cup game for the U.S. since July 1, 2014, when the team lost 2-1 to Belgium in overtime in the round of 16. The U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
"It's been long," said John Kayem, another fan. "We were like different people back then."
When Timothy Weah scored the U.S.'s lone goal of the match in the 36th minute, the bar erupted with cheers.
"You could feel the anticipation in here waiting for it to explode," said Sebastian Crank, who, riding high on the confidence of the goal, prematurely called for a victory — which unfortunately never came to fruition.
That elation only lasted for so long though, as LAFC's own Gareth Bale, playing for Wales, scored the equalizer in the 82nd minute on a penalty kick. Fans, bittersweet because Bale just earned LAFC its first every MLS Cup, weren't sure how to feel.
"It's nice to see Gareth Bale succeed but ultimately we want our team to win," said Ben Cox.
Defender DeAndre Yedlin is the only U.S. player with previous World Cup experience. The average age of the 26-player U.S. roster is 25 years.
The 2022 U.S. roster includes nine players 23 and under, and two players are from the Los Angeles area. Midfielder Cristian Roldan is an alumnus of El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera. Forward Haji Wright played for the LA Galaxy Academy from 2012-15.
The U.S. team consists of nine players who play in Major League Soccer, six in England's Premier League, two each in Germany, Italy, Spain and the Championship (the second tier of the English football league system), and one each in France, Scotland and Turkey.
Wales is playing in the World Cup for the second time and first since 1958 when it reached the quarterfinals.
Each team plays three games in group play. The top two teams in each of the eight four-team groups advance to the single-elimination portion of the tournament.
Other parties were organized by various chapters of American Outlaws, a nationwide support group for the U.S. men's and women's national soccer teams, will be held at Lopez & Lefty's in Anaheim; Arrow Lodge Brewing in Covina; The Surly Goat in Encino; Underdogs Sports Bar in Glendale; Underground Pub & Grill in Hermosa Beach; and Legends Sports Bar in Long Beach.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, after Bale capitalized on a late penalty kick, scoring the equalizer in the 82nd minute.
Team USA's next match is Friday against England.
