LANCASTER, Pa. — Tellus360 in Lancaster turned into a sea of red, white, and blue Monday afternoon, as hundreds of fans gathered to watch Team USA take on Wales in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
"It's great to be back," said Isaac Martin of Lancaster. "We have a really young squad but a lot of quality players playing all around Europe so it's great."
It's the team's first World Cup in eight years, after missing the tournament in 2018.
"After the heartbreak in 2018, it's just great to be back," said Jared Nisly of New Holland. "We have a lot of young talent so it's exciting."
The U.S. is a bit of an underdog, as its team is one of the youngest in the 32-team bracket.
"I think the average age is something like 23, so building this toward the future of the next World Cup which is on U.S. soil is such an amazing experience," said David Gable, vice president of the Lancaster chapter of American Outlaws, a non-profit group which is dedicated to organizing support for men's, women's, and youth soccer in the U.S.
Fans who attended Monday's watch party remain optimistic.
"Missing [the World Cup] 4 years ago set the program back but now we're up and ready to go, so [I'm] hoping for a good result," said Gable.
There was also a lot of support for Hershey native Christian Pulisic at Tellus360.
Pulisic, a Hershey native, is leading Team USA in Qatar as its star midfielder.
"I got the #10 on, this is from a couple cycles ago but Pulisic is such a great player," said Nisly.
In Pulisic's honor, a mural of him is now painted on the side of Tellus360.
"We go to all the games in Philly and wherever we can and we see him and throw him our scarves and he reposts us on Instagram," said Gable. "He's always giving back to the community so it's great to have a local guy."
The U.S. Men's National Team has never won a World Cup so fans are hopeful this could be the year.
Team USA has its next match Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. against England.
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