Thousands of Bleary-Eyed Fans Watch World Cup Match

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Thousands of bleary-eyed soccer fans buoyed by the United States' improbable showing in the World Cup tournament woke early again to cheer their team. But this time they were met with defeat.

From Los Angeles to New York City, fans fueled on coffee and hopes of an upset abandoned their televisions at home to watch in bars and stadiums.

More than 7,500 people, some who traveled from as far as Florida, watched on large screens inside and outside Crew Stadium, home of Columbus' professional soccer team.

They stood up during the closing moments as the United States looked for the tying goal and remained on their feet clapping when the Americans fell short, losing to Germany 1-0.

With an American flag draped over his shoulders, Ken Nekic, 37, of Columbus was upbeat in defeat.

"Something like this is a dream come true," he said. "These guys are playing with all their heart."

Brian Snyder, 24, of suburban Reynoldsburg said he was proud of the U.S. team.

"I couldn't ask for a better game except for the U.S. to win," he said.

Fans hoped the U.S. team's run to the World Cup quarterfinals and the growing number of fans who turned out in the wee hours to watch the games show soccer is growing in popularity across the country.

At Ben's Half Yard House in Dallas, more than 450 people beat drums and waived noisemakers. The crowd was eclectic. Some draped themselves in American flags and others looked like traditional Texans in jeans and boots.

"I'm not even really a soccer fan," said Mark Wolff, 28, of Dallas. "I'm on the bandwagon."

Wearing a red-white-and-blue beard and an American flag around his waist, Billy Gannon, 22, said in Dallas he was "amazed we made it this far."

He said the U.S. team's performance guarantees respect for American soccer.

"Now, you can't overlook the U.S.," he said. "We've arrived on the world scene."

The Cock n' Bull Pub in Santa Monica, Calif., never closed so about 200 people chanting "U-S-A, U-S-A" could huddle around televisions.

Exchange student Daniela Schuster, of Bonn, Germany, was the only patron supporting the European squad.

"I'm keeping a low profile here," said Schuster, 24.

In Philadelphia, about 30 people lined the street in front of the Irish bar Fado, which opened early at 7 a.m.

"I don't think 10 years ago there would have been a line out the door at 6:30 in the morning," said Reth Katz, 29, of Maple Shade, N.J.

The majority of fans at Crew Stadium in Columbus drank coffee and munched doughnuts, cheering loudly and chanting "USA."

At the Overdraught bar in Cambridge, Mass., the drink of choice was coffee and the food was waffles, bacon and eggs.

"I woke up this morning feeling the least nervous I felt so far. Even in defeat we didn't really lose," said Evan Whitney, 29, of Boston.

U.S. team member Brian McBride's mother, Maddie McBride-Bisulca, was wearing a McBride jersey at Curragh Irish Pub in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg on Friday morning.

"This is gravy. This is the farthest they've ever advanced. They've shown they can play with the big boys," said McBride-Bisulca, whose son also plays for the Columbus Crew.

Fans gathered at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y., around a big-screen TV set up near the 1999 World Cup trophy won by the U.S. women's team.

"It was a great game. We were very respectable," said Eric Sangvic of Sidney, N.Y. "Everybody was charged up."

Among the crowd at Crew Stadium were Nick Lewis, 23, and Ryan Dolan, 30, of Cape Coral, Fla., and Dolan's 57-year-old father, Chris Dolan of Haines City, Fla.

They drove 18 hours nonstop, about 1,200 miles, from the Fort Myers area to be on hand for the 7:30 a.m. game.

"Crew Stadium is the place to be," Lewis said. "We invited everybody on the way up from Florida. If we stopped at a gas station, we invited them. We talked to people in Kentucky who had never heard of soccer."