Saturday, December 3 • 7 am
Thanks to a 1-0 win over Iran on Tuesday, the United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT) finished second in its group and will move on to the next stage of the World Cup: The Round of 16. This knockout round is historically tough for the US, which has only won a single knockout round game in 92 years.
Bright and early on Saturday, the US faces off against the Netherlands, who finished top of their group. While the Netherlands are good, they played arguably easier opponents in the first stage of this tourney. So, there’s hope. One snag is the US’s record against European teams. Since 1990, the US has only ever beaten a European team once at the World Cup (it was Portugal back in 2002, if you’re curious).
The stakes are high! The US could be on its way to making history and paving the way for a promising 2026 World Cup performance (which Seattle will host!!!). Even cooler, every win for the US benefits the US Women’s National Team. Because of a collective bargaining agreement signed this spring, the men and women will share their World Cup winnings to tackle the pay gap between men and women’s sports.
For Saturday’s 7 am kickoff, we suggest heading down to The Dray in Ballard. Feast on a pesto egg sandwich and some sweet, sweet nationalism. If Ballard is a bit of a trek, check out Seattle’s other soccer bars for US watch parties.
