World Cup Watch Party Draws a Crowd

The Tartan Army may have left Boston, but the World Cup excitement is still very much alive in Belmont. The Belmont Recreation Department and Belmont Soccer Association hosted a watch party for the World Cup semifinal match between France and Spain on Tuesday afternoon.

Soccer ball balloons flanked the large projector in the Town Hall auditorium as attendees eagerly waited to see which team would punch their ticket to the tournament final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Director of Recreation Brandon Fitts said 180 people registered for the Tuesday watch party, and another 180 for the one scheduled Wednesday to watch the England-Argentina matchup.

“Let’s celebrate, cheer, laugh together, cry together, depending on who wins,” Fitts said as he welcomed the crowd.

World Cup Memories

Nine-year-old Lukas Leahey is the resident soccer expert in his house and can remember the score of each World Cup match, his mom said.

Before his attention turned to Spain’s penalty kick, Lukas said his favorite memory of the tournament was United States star Folarin Balogun’s left-footed goal against Paraguay.

His younger brother Oskar had his own World Cup at camp on Tuesday.

“I played soccer today, too. It was kids against teachers. I scored four goals,” Oskar said proudly.

While it was France vs. Spain on Tuesday, seventh-grader Kiki Kogler is rooting for England to take home its second World Cup. She chose the team for her family’s World Cup bracket challenge.

“It’s really fun, and there’s some family competition,” she said of her family’s tradition.

Her brother, Jack Kogler, saw the action up close with his dad at the Norway vs. Iraq match at Gillette Stadium on June 16. They cheered for Norway and saw the team’s star, Erling Haaland, score his first two World Cup goals.

“It was a bucket list thing [and] an awesome experience that I’ll remember forever,” Jack said.

Thanks to his tournament success and off-the-pitch antics, Haaland is a favorite of many American fans. Leo Rozgic likes the Norwegian because he plays for his favorite club, Manchester City.

“I kind of look like him, too,” Leo added, pointing to his shoulder-length blonde hair.

Leo and his friends play for the town soccer league and were bouncing a ball around while waiting for the match to start. His friend, Andy Li, said he was rooting for French star Kylian Mbappé. Not France, just Mbappé. What did Andy think the star forward had to do to win?

“Bro, he has to score a hat trick,” was Andy’s advice.

In the end, Mbappé did not live up to those expectations. Spain beat France 2-0 this afternoon and will advance to the final.

It may be coming to an end, but the memories of the tournament will linger. From Boston becoming a sister city to Glasgow, Scotland, to a small Kansas town embracing Algerian players and fans, it has been a summer of cultural connection.

Thirteen-year-old Beatrice Anderson doesn’t play the sport, but sees value in what the World Cup means to people.

“It’s cool to watch all the different cultures coming together,” she said.