BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Hundreds of soccer fans gathered along the Buffalo waterfront at Canalsid
e Wednesday for a free World Cup watch party, cheering on the U.S. Men's National Team as they defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
The Lake Erie breeze offered some relief from the scorching heat as fans set up lawn chairs along the waterfront to catch the action on the big screen. The event was organized by Visit Buffalo and Buffalo Waterfront.
The victory at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara marked the first World Cup knockout round win for the U.S. since 2002.
Folarin Balogun scored the opening goal for the Stars and Stripes in the 45th minute. The striker now has 3 goals in 4 matches for the U.S. Men's National Team. In the 82nd minute, Malik Tillman scored on a free kick, giving Team USA a 2-0 lead.
"I'm really excited to watch the soccer game," Marium Mohsin, a U.S. Men's Soccer fan in attendance, said.
For Lukas Tyski, the watch party was about more than just the game.
"I've really loved being able to come here and, a lot of people have these preconceived notions about soccer, it's lame, it's boring, the players fall over, blah, blah, blah. But when people come here and they see everyone's watching it and they really give it a fair chance, they realize, it really is a beautiful game," Tyski said. "And when, that's what sports are all about. It's about coming together, it's about having a shared passion."
WATCH: Hundreds gather at Canalside in Buffalo for World Cup watch party as USA tops Bosnia and Herzegovina
Stefan Ceci, another fan at the event, reflected on the broader significance of hosting the World Cup in North America.
"It's great that people from around the world who are coming here who would never come here before are realizing that, you know what, on an individual level, people around the world are more alike than you can possibly imagine," Ceci said. "So that's one benefit that I've had growing up around the world and that's something that I'm so grateful that we have the World Cup here in North America."
The watch party kicked off at 8 p.m., following a screening of Wicked: For Good earlier in the evening. Canalside plans to host three more Wednesday Movie Nights this summer.
The next Canalside Movie Night viewings are as follows:
July 15th: Zootopia 2
July 22nd: Hamilton
July 29th: Wall-E
