A chorus of cheers erupted from the turf field outside the Robert Crown Community Center as the U.S. Men’s National Team punched its ticket to the FIFA World Cup round of 16, defeating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 Wednesday night.
Hundreds of fans braved the heat to watch the game on the big screen. The watch party, hosted by Evanston’s Parks & Recreation department and Northwestern’s Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations, provided free food and space for Evanston community members to enjoy the game together.
“The feeling of being surrounded by other people that are into the game is so much more fun than watching at home by myself,” said Evanston resident Caitlin Tobin.
Tobin, sporting a red U.S. team jersey, recently moved to Evanston with two kids, ages 10 and 7. She said Wednesday’s event was a great opportunity for them to run around and enjoy themselves.
The city and NU hosted a similar watch party on June 25 for the U.S. group stage game against Turkey. Tobin, who also attended that event, said Wednesday night drew a much larger crowd.
Before kickoff, residents packed the turf with lawn chairs and blankets, many donning U.S. jerseys or waving American flags. There were also several in attendance wearing blue and yellow to cheer on Bosnia-Herzegovina. Many kids played soccer and ran around the turf fields as the match began.
Mayor Daniel Biss welcomed the crowd to the event and stayed to watch the game. He also introduced NU President Mung Chiang, marking his first day on the job. Biss said Chiang’s role in leading NU, which he called “a critical partner” for the city, is a “tough” but important job.
“(It’s) not always the easiest partnership, but one of the most important partnerships we have to make sure that we are delivering for our shared interests,” Biss said.
Chiang greeted attendees and introduced himself to the community. He also served free ice cream, provided by C&W Market and Ice Cream Parlor.
Chiang joked that it was a happy coincidence that the World Cup watch party fell on his first day as University president. He told The Daily that the Evanston community has been very welcoming and that he’s “proud to be a neighbor.”
“It’s great to see the community coming together, how sports brings people together,” he said. “And by the way, this is great town-gown partnership. I know we’ll have many other bigger partnerships we can work on together.”
In addition to the ice cream, the event provided free popcorn, while other food and drinks were available for purchase.
Energy was high as U.S. striker Folarin Balogun scored the first goal in the 45th minute. Balogun was later sent off in the second half with a red card.
Playing one man down, the U.S. secured the win with its second goal as Malik Tillman scored a free kick in the 82nd minute. The crowd in Evanston roared, whistling, cheering and chanting “U-S-A.”
Wednesday’s win marked the first U.S. victory in the World Cup knockout rounds since 2002. The team will now advance to the round of 16, where it will face Belgium on Monday.
Dave Davis, NU’s neighborhood and community relations assistant vice president, said the University and city plan to host another watch party on Monday for the pivotal game.
Davis added his office is always looking for ways to bring the community out, and they thought Wednesday’s watch party would be a good place for Chiang to meet Evanston residents.
“The World Cup is the most exciting thing happening right now in the world, and Evanston’s a huge soccer community,” he said. “So what better way to bring together the University and the city of Evanston around this wonderful event?”
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