Savannah fans find community at World Cup watch party despite team USA lost

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -Team USA came up short against Belgium in a 4-1 loss, but in downtown Savannah, fans packed into McDonough’s Restaurant and Lounge turned the match into a shared moment

“USA, USA, USA,” the crowd shouted as the game got underway, with red, white and blue filling the room on shirts, flags and face paint.

For Grace Weaver, the watch party was about more than the final score.

“It’s incredible to see a united front coming together for a common cause,” Weaver said. “It’s what we need to see a lot of and I’m just grateful to be here.”

Another fan, Brandon Bond, said the scene reminded him of the soccer culture he experienced living in Europe for nine years, where watch parties can be the center of a community.

“It’s life, it’s everything,” Bond said. “Every village has a projector in its town square.”

Bond said that same kind of energy is growing in the United States, as Americans embrace the tournament and visitors from around the world gather in shared spaces to celebrate together.

“The whole unity aspect is absolutely phenomenal,” Bond said. “At a time when polarization is at its all time high, something like this sport has shown that it is really good for everyone.”

Even with the U.S. loss, Weaver said the atmosphere inside the watch party was the real win — people from different countries coming together for one night under the same roof.

“It’s so cool, you see people from different countries dancing together, drinking together, singing together,” Weaver said. “It’s what we need … to be not just a citizen of the U.S. but like a member of the whole world.”