TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - A crowd filled Fifth Third Field Tuesday afternoon in downtown Toledo, but they weren't there for the Mud Hens. The stadium hosted a free viewing of the USA versus Belgium match in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
About 2,500 fans were there to show their support. Some were dressed in American flag-themed scarves or shorts, others had patriotic body paint.
"I was planning on watching it at home, but this was a lot better," said Will Waltermeyer at Fifth Third Field. "This huge crowd - you just got pumped."
Over at the Claddagh in the Franklin Park Mall, another crowd of fans cheered on the US Men's National Soccer Team.
The game saw no goals until it went into extra time, and that's when the mood changed at both Fifth Third Field and the Claddagh. Belgium scored early in overtime – twice.
"There's a lot of hope," Colin, a fan at the Claddagh said. "We've got a lot of faith. Maybe something will happen and we'll get to penalty kicks and pull this one out."
The US team managed to score once before time ran out, but it was not enough to win or move forward in the World Cup. Fans were disappointed, but some looked for the silver lining.
"It would have been nice to see one more at the end, but it was a competitive match and hopefully more people will start watching and continue to watch after this," said Matt Darah.
"Northwest Ohio has some of the best soccer players in the world, as far as the US goes," said Santiago Mendez. "If nothing else, it's going to inspire every kid that lives in northwest Ohio."
