LOS ANGELES, USA – After the United States beat Paraguay 4-1, Alex Saldívar left the stadium with an American flag and a big smile on his face.
Not only did his team win the opening round of the World Cup, they also won on home soil, and the 23-year-old got to witness it all.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“This is a dream come true, a serious dream come true. I don’t know what to say,” Saldívar said, standing and swinging his legs from side to side.
His excitement sums up a historic day for U.S. football.
Tens of thousands of fans gathered at SoFi Stadium for outlandish displays, including oversized hats and Stars and Stripes-themed costumes.
Supporters represented their country’s colors in every way possible: white and red striped dungarees, blue and white hair, American flag trousers, painted faces and Uncle Sam suits.
Ryan Schellhouse, who came to Los Angeles from San Jose in northern California, was literally dressed head to toe in the colors of the American flag, including a mask that only exposed his eyes.
He told Al Jazeera that it would be great for the World Cup to be held in the United States.
“Soccer is booming in America right now, which is great,” Shellhouse said, adding that he expects Team USA to finish high in the tournament if the players perform to the best of their abilities.
For many fans, the World Cup provides a unique opportunity to experience the best of football. And they cherish this moment.
Michelle Churchill, who traveled from Virginia with her three children to watch the opening game, called it a “bucket list” event.
When asked about the exorbitant ticket prices, she said the experience was worth it.
Churchill also made a bold prediction about the fate of the US team in this tournament.
“They will win. They will take the cup,” she told Al Jazeera.
law enforcement
Fans began arriving at the stadium four hours before the game started. One wore a Gulf Coast-style thobe and wore an American flag as a scarf. Another was dressed like the first U.S. president, George Washington.
Despite concerns about logistics and organization, everything went largely smoothly, with a large number of staff and volunteers ensuring safety and order.
There was an alphabet soup of law enforcement agencies.
The Transportation Security Administration has stationed personnel at the entrance to monitor airport-style security checkpoints. Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security were also on scene.
At the local level, heavily armed personnel from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were deployed around the stadium, as were officers from the Inglewood Police Department.
Many officers were accompanied by police dogs. Some people let their canine friends take photos next to the oversized World Cup ball outside the stadium before the crowds started arriving.
Reports that President Donald Trump might attend Game 1 ultimately did not materialize, to the obvious relief of many fans in heavily liberal Los Angeles.
Celebrities such as Tom Cruise and David Beckham were cheered by the crowd inside the stadium.
atmosphere of the stadium
It took a while for the stadium to fill.
About an hour after kickoff, the venue was still about half empty and the crowd was quiet during the first half of the opening ceremony, which featured several rappers including Future and Rema.
But before the first whistle, the stadium began to come to life as Katy Perry took the stage and chants of “USA, USA” grew louder.
In the first half, it was forward Christian Pulisic who electrified the crowd by running straight towards his marker and making dangerous crosses and shots.
The faint chants turned into a deafening roar when Paraguay’s own goal gave the United States the lead in the seventh minute.
The distinctive scream of goal celebration rang out three more times in the stadium as Folarin Balogun found the back of the net twice and Giovanni Reyna wrapped up the game with a stunning curler from the edge of the box.
The stadium announcer said there was a crowd of over 70,000 people.
“It’s a full house,” he said to the cheers of the crowd.
However, this announcement did not pass the eye test.
Many seats throughout the stadium remained empty, especially the most expensive section overlooking the center of the field.
Organizer FIFA sold all seats, but resellers may have had trouble selling some tickets.
The bottom line is that while ticket prices and President Trump’s travel policies may have dampened the buzz around the World Cup, the tournament still delivers the happiness, excitement and togetherness that soccer promises.
