COLUMBIA — The U.S. Men’s National Team beat Paraguay 4-1 on Friday, and fans in Columbia turned out in force to watch it happen at bars, parks and on campus. At Logboat Brewing Co., families spread out on the lawn as children kicked soccer balls between themselves, while Sentinel Park and Columbia College also filled with World Cup viewers.
The turnout mattered because Friday’s match was not just another game on a screen. It came with the kind of crowd that makes a local watch party feel like an event, and the result gave supporters plenty to cheer: a 4-1 U.S. win in a World Cup hosted on American soil. For some, that made the day feel personal. Annika David said it felt cool to have the tournament in the United States and called it a once-in-a-lifetime chance, adding that growing up playing soccer made the occasion feel close to a dream.
At Sentinel Park, the gathering was hosted by Irene’s and Witches & Wizards Arcade in the Arcade District, where organizers spent weeks getting ready. Nick Alexander, the Arcade District chief operating officer, said the plan came together with Irene’s a couple of weeks ago, probably more like a month ago, before they started posting ads and events that drew interest quickly. The same kind of energy carried to other Columbia locations, showing how a single World Cup match could pull people to more than one corner of the city on the same afternoon.
That enthusiasm also carried a complicated edge for some fans. Cristina Medlin watched the match at Sentinel Park with her husband, Dustin Medlin, while backing the U.S. and still pulling for Colombia, her birth country, in the same World Cup. Cory Smith was thinking even bigger, saying he wanted to see the U.S. make a run to the quarterfinals, something the team has not done in a long time. It was the kind of split allegiance and shared hope that only the World Cup tends to produce.
The next test comes fast. The U.S. Men’s National Team is scheduled to face Australia at 2 p.m. on June, and Friday’s crowds in Columbia showed there will be no shortage of people ready to watch again. If the local turnout was any indication, the city’s World Cup interest is not a one-night spike but a habit that could keep building with every U.S. match.
