Private First Class Cody Hill, left, and Sgt. First Class Kelvin Mullins, U.S. Army National Guard, cheer on the United States against Germany during the second half of the World Cup match Thursday afternoon at Buffalo Wild Wings in Martinsburg.
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – Although the United States had the losing number on the scoreboard, the overwhelming crowd at Buffalo Wild Wings broke out into cheers, claps and a deafening chant of “U-S-A” at the end of Thursday’s World Cup soccer game.
Despite the loss to Germany, the United States will advance to the next phase of play, a single-elimination round. Fans watching the game in Martinsburg were keenly aware of the United States’ ability to go further in the tournament.
“Germany’s definitely a class team, but we (held) our own,” said Martinsburg resident Jacob Householder.
Householder was one of many viewers at Buffalo Wild Wings whose eyes consistently stayed on the large screen, tracking the quick movements of the soccer ball and players. With soccer as his favorite sport to watch and play, Householder said he has closely followed the United States’ journey through the World Cup, along with watching as many other teams as possible.
“I took half a day so I could come watch this game. (Soccer’s) always been a love of mine. It’s just something that I was always interested in since I was a little kid. Every little boy wants to be a professional athlete at some point,” Householder said.
Also cheering on Team USA were several members of the Mussleman High School boys soccer team.
Released early from practice to watch the game, the six boys crowded around one table still wearing their team T-shirts in a symbolic show of support.
“We want to support our country. We have faith in our team,” said Zach Alvarez…
