Thousands pack Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium to see Team USA World Cup victory
Standing outside Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, Ed Duran shared that what he had just witnessed inside was meaningful to him as a veteran.
More than 3,000 people had just gathered in Sacramento for a free watch party hosted by Sacramento Republic FC for the U.S. men’s national soccer team Round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Days ahead of America’s 250th birthday, the watch party pulled off a seemingly rare feat in divisive political times: It was patriotic but didn’t seem partisan. People in the crowd displayed American flags, raucously cheered each goal and sang along to the John Denver classic, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” that blared in the auditorium after Team USA won 2-0.
“When we have these kind of gatherings, sporting events and other things that bring all of us together, no matter what ethnic or background you’re from, this makes it extra special for all the all that have served and that are currently serving,” said Duran, 77, who served in the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.
What drew people out
Doors opened 90 minutes before the 5 p.m. scheduled start to the game. At first the mood was sedate. Even as kickoff neared, the auditorium was moderately filled.
Republic spokesperson John Jacobs explained that people were likely still getting off work and that he was optimistic more people would arrive. A Mexico-Ecuador watch party that Sac Republic held on Tuesday, which had a later start time, drew 3,950 people to the venue, according to Maya Severson, a Memorial Auditorium staffer.
Some made it to the Wednesday watch party early, including Eric Brown, who is going into his third year at McGeorge School of Law. He decided to attend the party after learning about it online. “I knew there’ll be a lot of people here,” Brown said before the game. “I’m just looking for a good time.”
Rachel Koyama, who lives in Greenhaven, milled about on the auditorium floor before the game began. She said she’d been watching World Cups since the tournament was held in Germany in 2006. “I want to see all the teams, know how they all do,” Koyama said. “It’s always a big event for me every four years.”
Davis resident Miles Branch, 13, sat in the crowd with his parents prior to the game’s start. His face was painted with an American flag, a choice he said was motivated by a desire to “support the team, bring the energy.”
The crowd began to fill out about the time the game got underway. Many people at the watch party wore jerseys in honor of U.S. star Christian Pulisic, and the crowd stirred with excitement as Pulisic made an early drive.
The stage was decorated with Bosnian and Herzegovinian colored lights — blue, white and yellow — at one end. At the other end of the stage were American-colored lights. Jacobs said highlighting both nation’s colors was intended as a celebration.
There was no question which side the Memorial Auditorium crowd was on. People near the front began chanting “USA! USA!” around the game’s 20-minute mark. Fans jumped up and down after Folarin Balogun punched in what seemed to be the game’s first goal near the 31-minute mark, then expressed stunned disbelief when the striker was deemed offsides.
When Balogun officially scored 13 minutes later, people went crazy once more, jumping up and down, waving flags and chanting.
Late arrivals
At halftime, Sacramento residents Allie Chotikul and Jonathan Hayes stood near a food stand in the auditorium. They had just arrived after Chotikul got off work. They were hopeful about what lay ahead in the second half.
“I want to see Pulisic kind of control the field a little bit more, be less of a striker and be more of a distributor for his teammates,” Hayes said.
Others were also arriving, including Sacramento County Board of Supervisors candidate Flojaune Cofer. Asked what she thought of the event’s patriotism, Cofer said America was a complicated place. On one hand, Cofer said, the U.S. sometimes engaged in disagreeable actions and had harmful parts of its history. But the country was also her home.
“When I’m in the room with other neighbors and friends and I get to experience this, it’s really quite beautiful and it reminds you that it’s not one, it’s both,” said Cofer, who stayed to watch the second half. “’Por que los dos,’ right? Like, it’s both of these things at the same time.”
The second half became a nail-biter for a time after Balogun was red-carded and ejected from the game for stepping on an opponent’s ankle. The room let loose after midfielder Malik Tillman scored on a free kick with about nine minutes to go before stoppage time.
Bosnia and Herzegovina managed no serious threat to the game’s outcome in the closing minutes, despite the U.S. playing down a man due to Balogun’s ejection.
After the game
The party continued into the surrounding streets after the game ended. For some, the evening was all about the outcome of the game.
“I’m just really happy that they won,” said Christina Yokoi, a veterinarian from Folsom.
Others found resonance in the unifying spirit of the event, such as Anina Puccio, 22, who was at the game with her parents.
“I think soccer should be nonpolitical and I think it’s something that unites us all, despite our differences and where we come from,” Puccio said. “So, I think it’s a perfect time, especially in this time that we don’t have peace.”
