Anchorage soccer community comes together to cheer on Team USA in World Cup

The early bird may get the worm, but in this case the early bird didn’t get the win.

Soccer fans across Anchorage awoke early on Saturday morning to watch Team USA compete against the Netherlands in the knockout round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup.

A group of a couple hundred fans gathered at 907 Alehouse in Anchorage to watch the action, which started at 6 a.m. locally. Fans of all ages cheered on the team, many dressed head to toe in USA gear.

The Netherlands won the game 3-1 to eliminate the U.S. but in many corners it was still considered a successful World Cup for the Americans, who didn’t even qualify for the tournament in 2018 and last competed in 2014.

At one table, four teammates on the Service High soccer team sat and took in the action.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” said senior Brady Rufner. “We didn’t qualify in 2018. I think it’s going to be a great team in 2026. We have a lot of young players.”

[Don’t view the USMNT’s loss as the end. It’s a down payment on the future.]

Rufner said he’s seen an influx of friends who have developed an interest in the sport.

“It’s kind of cool to see my friends who don’t play soccer just get into it because we only have it every four years,” Rufner said. “It brings everybody together.”

There was unanimity in the group — their favorite player was American star Christian Pulisic.

Josh Resnick, the administrator for Soccer Alaska, said the tournament has drawn plenty of interest within the more than 1,500 players that compete in Soccer Alaska’s adult leagues. He said he even knew of two locals who made the trip to Qatar to take in the action.

“I think soccer fans are always huge supporters of the World Cup,” he said. “It’s the climax of the sport. It’s great for us to be in the World Cup.”

Steve Heilman, wearing a Clint Dempsey USA jersey, sat at 907 Alehouse with his son and watched the game. He coaches a team his son plays on with the Cook Inlet Soccer Club.

“We’ve got a fantasy league going, so we’re following others teams as well, not just the U.S.,” he said. “It’s been a very exciting World Cup to get a lot of surprise results, Saudi Arabia beating Argentina. It’s just fun to watch USA perform this year.”

Billy St. Pierre was one of the Anchorage residents to traveled to Qatar, where he watched the U.S. in group play against Iran and Wales.

“I’m a big soccer fan and I also travel quite a bit,” he said. “The World Cup had also been a bucket list item of mine. I met my brother-in-law and we did some traveling in the region. (Qatar) was in proximity to some other countries I hadn’t been to before.”

St. Pierre was on his way back from the tournament on Saturday and caught the round of 16 match from Los Angeles.

The Americans trailed 2-0 at half, as the boiling buzz that existed early in the game started to simmer.

The most rowdy fans in attendance may have been from the Cook Inlet Soccer Club’s U12 team. Bellied up to the bar, a number of the 11-year-olds got “USA” chants started when the Americans seemed to grab some momentum.

[US knocked out of World Cup, loses to the Netherlands 3-1]

The crowd came alive as Team USA cut the Netherlands’ advantage to 2-1 with a goal by Haji Wright in the 76th minute.

But the Dutch bounced back with a goal of their own five minutes later to seal the win.

The USA was the second youngest team at the World Cup, something that appealed to the youth soccer fans in the crowd.

“The youth of our team definitely generated more interest from our younger players,” said Tim Valesko, a longtime coach at both the club and high school level. “The game has grown in the U.S. and younger players players know more international players ... Hopefully we continue to see American players making it on to top European teams.”

Plus North America is hosting the World Cup in 2026, with the more than two-thirds of the host sites scheduled to be in the U.S.

“For the soccer club we’re with, there’s been a lot of encouragement and motivation (stemming from the World Cup),” Heilman said. “We’re following a lot of teams the kids might not usually follow and there’s been a lot of interest.”