The U.S. Women’s National Team scraped by the group phase after a scoreless match with Portugal.
And despite the 3 a.m. EDT start time, well over 100 fans packed a local watch party at Franklin Hall bar in Northwest D.C. to catch the at-times exasperating match.
“I’m a huge Women’s National Team fan and I really like Franklin Hall,” Janice Hernandez told WTOP, as she sipped on a beer just before halftime. “I came here last World Cup and it was, like, a good vibe. So you’re gonna watch a game in the middle of the night you’re gonna do it here.”
She and dozens of other agreed watching World Cup soccer is just more fun with friends than watching alone on your couch in PJs.
“I feel like a soccer game at 3 a.m. … I wouldn’t have made it alone,” Channing Pejic joked. “It’s group therapy.”
Added Cheyenne Foster, “It’s nice, especially at this hour to be at a place where you can yell and not worry about waking up your neighbors.”
For much of the 2-hour game, groans and frustrated screaming were audible as the U.S. came close to scoring multiple times but fell short.
“I’m so desperate for us to score just one goal,” said Foster. “Please, for the love of God — I’ll do anything.”
The most audible gasp came when Portugal’s Ana Capeta’s shot-on goal hit the post. Just an inch to the side would have sent the U.S. team home.
Beer may have flowed in the first half, but many spectators had to switch to coffee in the second — D.C. bars can’t serve alcohol between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.
And while the ending may have been lackluster, the experience was worth it for the many who either stayed up late to catch it — or woke up early.
“I went to bed at 8 p.m. [and] set an alarm for 1:30 to wake up because I wanted to make sure I still got decent amount of sleep before work tomorrow,” said Sarah Aldridge.
As the fans began to file out of Franklin Hall at 5 a.m., there was some sense of hope and optimism for the rest of the tournament.
“We won it two times in a row but no one’s ever won it three times in a row. So we’re gonna see if that’s for a reason. Optimistic though,” said Pejic.
The U.S. will play again on Sunday Aug. 6, likely against powerhouse Sweden.
