GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The U.S. men's national team won 4-1 in its first World Cup match Friday. The match brought out fans, diehards and enthusiasts to SpeakEZ Lounge in downtown Grand Rapids to cheer on their home team.
The bar, which has been open for nearly 15 years, hosted its fourth World Cup — and fans say it is the place to be for the tournament.
"This is the best environment in the world, one of the top bars for sports, for soccer, for futbol, for the World Cup," Quinton Hendrickson said.
Evan Wiser agreed.
"There's nothing like it. You can feel the game, you can feel everybody there. It's awesome," Wiser said.
Rob Shafer, president of the American Outlaws Grand Rapids chapter — a nationwide group that follows Team USA soccer — described what the atmosphere is like when the action heats up.
"There's a big play, you're gonna hear everybody cheering, you're gonna be hearing groaning. There's a goal, the entire place is going to go absolutely crazy, jumping up and down, singing. It's something you don't typically experience here in America," Shafer said.
Owner Eric "E-Z" Albertson said the experience he wants to create goes beyond simply showing the match.
"It's not about just putting the match on TV, it's about the environment and the culture and the fans that come in and the friends that come in," Albertson said.
Albertson said soccer is a way to bring people together.
"We can drop the divisiveness that's in our culture right now, and we can all unify, and it's great to unify behind the US team, and that's where the fun comes in. When the US scores, and we all just go crazy," Albertson said.
For fans like Hendrickson, the wait for the World Cup has been worth it — and he is cheering Team USA all the way to the championship.
"I'm unbelievably hyped. I waited four years for this. This is the golden era," Hendrickson said. "This is the biggest sport in the world. This is the biggest event in the world. This is everything I've ever dreamed of, from the time I was born. USA, we're going to bring it home."
Albertson and fans say the energy at Speak EZ Lounge will continue throughout the entire World Cup.
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