TRAVERSE CITY — Even with the closest World Cup venue to Traverse City in Canada, soccer fans in the city showed out and supported the U.S. men’s national team in their matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Little Fleet hosted an outdoor watch party with screens inside and outside the bar.
Despite some heavy rain, thunderstorms, and heat, the bar was packed with triple-digit supporters.
They came from all over the country and they were there to watch the game.
One fan was Chris Loescher from Alaska. He said he didn’t mind the weather and had experienced worse.
“The rain in Alaska wants to kind of kill you. This is warm and fun, and so I have no issue,” Loescher said. “We’re die-hard soccer fans, so we’re going to watch it, regardless of what’s going on.”
Loescher came with Barb Carroll, who is from northern Michigan.
Carroll said there is much more interest than at the last World Cup.
“We came up, and there were like no places to watch it; nobody had the game on. We asked if somebody were to watch the game, and they’re like, ‘What game? What are you talking about?’” Carroll said.
Loescher and Carroll said they asked the people in the community where to go for the game, and all pointed to The Little Fleet.
Traverse City local Jacob Elsenheimer was born and raised in the city and grew up playing soccer in the area. Elsenheimer said he loves seeing a growth of affection for the game in the community.
“Any PR is good PR, and we’re playing well, and everybody’s enjoying it, and everybody’s having fun,” he said. “All the other countries that are coming here are having fun.
“I think it’s just a great showing for not only our country, but everybody who lives there.”
Elsenheimer also said that the U.S. replicating the European style has been fun to watch.
He only wishes the World Cup had more games in the Midwest.
“You think of the Midwest as the kind of totem pole for U.S. soccer,” Elsenheimer said. “You think Cincinnati, you think Minneapolis. Would have loved to have a game in Chicago, but just the fact that it’s in the U.S. is awesome.”
Jacob Wheeler is another local soccer fan. He was born in Denmark and moved to northern Michigan when he was 2 years old but, despite his European heritage, he was not into soccer until recently.
Even then, he said this World Cup has seen greater outreach than any previous edition, especially the 1994 World Cup.
“I don’t think it was a place in northern Michigan where you would go with a huge crowd and be with like-minded fans. Traverse City was not what it is now. There was no Little Fleet,” Wheeler said. “I’m sure that in ‘94 there were big cities on the coasts that were into it. But from what I read, what I hear, what I see, in cities big and small all over the country, there are huge crowds gathered for this.”
The fans are not just coming out to watch, but they are also confident that this team can go far in the tournament. With a 2-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, supporters are proud.
Some fans are expecting a run to the semi-finals, while others are just glad to make it out of the group stage.
Either way, the U.S. men’s national team and their fans face their next opponent, Belgium, in the round of 16 next Monday.