Bay Area hosts first U.S. men's World Cup knockout match on home soil in 32 years
The San Francisco Bay Area repeated history with Wednesday's FIFA Men's World Cup round-of-32 match between the U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Wednesday's 2-0 victory by the U.S over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara marked only the second time the U.S. men played in a World Cup knockout match on home soil. The victory propels the U.S. to a round-of-16 match against Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle on July 6. The Red Devils advanced earlier Wednesday with a come-from-behind win against Senegal in extra time.
The only other time the U.S. hosted the Men's World Cup was in 1994, with the U.S. team reaching the second round as one of the best third place teams from the group stage. Their reward was a matchup against 3-time World Cup champion Brazil at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on July 4th. On that day, more than 84,000 people packed the stadium to watch a valiant U.S. effort fall short to Brazil, 1-0. The Canarinho would go on to win its 4th World Cup title in 1994, and is the only team to have won five World Cup trophies.
Wednesday's historic matchup in Santa Clara was the marquee event at multiple Bay Area watch parties for those not able to secure a ticket to the game. The main watch party in the South Bay is the San Jose Earthquakes' Soccer Celebration event at San Pedro Square in San Jose, which has drawn huge crowds for all 104 World Cup matches.
In the Bay Area, a Bosnian restaurant turned into a main gathering spot ahead of Wednesday's World Cup match. Euro Grill, located in Santa Clara, is benefiting from the thousands of Bosnian supporters expected to travel to make their way to the South Bay for their team's first appearance in the World Cup knockout stage.
Owner Mirza Avdic said the national team's success is introducing more people to Bosnia and Herzegovina's culture and history.
"It's a culture of rich history. Very proud people. People who went through a lot," said Avdic. "Through history. Through genocide. Through wars. And to have them still friendly, smiling, joking. They are trying to do their best for new generations."
It was Bosnia's second-ever World Cup appearance as an independent nation, following their debut in 2014.
Hours before the U.S. vs. Bosnia match, secondary market ticket prices to get into the stadium were averaging between $1,340 and $1,800 per ticket, while premium seating was averaging between $3,200 and $4,500, according to StubHub and SeatGeek.
