Crowd at Wunder Garten as the USA beats Iran in World Cup play. Youssef Ibrahim, top, hugs his father Hesham Ibrahim, right, and his brothers, Adam Ibrahim, 7, below, and Abdaloah Ibrahim, 10, left, after the USA wins.

Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU

As the U.S. scored its first goal against the Iranian national team in the 2022 World Cup Tuesday, a crowd of roughly 300 people packed into a beer garden in Northeast D.C. erupted into a chant: “USA! USA! USA!”

Residents from across the city had come to Wunder Garten to drink beers and root for both teams, though the crowd leaned decisively in favor of the U.S. Both teams needed a win in order to advance to the next round of play.

Wearing a U.S. flag, Youssef Ibrahim stands up in a crowd at the Wunder Garten World Cup watch party as the U.S. makes its first goal.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
People embrace and wave flags at a World Cup watch party at the Wunder Garten beer garden after the U.S. scores its first goal.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Luciano Ramirez and Viviana Solano embrace at a World Cup watch party at the Wunder Garten beer garden. The married couple came to D.C. to donate bone marrow and stopped by to watch the game.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Hesham Ibrahim, from Vienna, VA, waves a flag at a World Cup watch party at the Wunder Garten beer garden.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
World Cup enthusiasts gathered at a watch party at Wunder Garten beer garden. Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU

“My hope is a win. I don’t care about how much or how many goals or whatever, I just want to win and advance to the round of 16,” said Jon Crisafi, D.C. resident and USA fan who came out to Wunder Garten to watch the game. “I’m from Pennsylvania, so both [Christian] Pulisic and Brenden Aaronson are both native sons, I guess … It’s great seeing the way soccer as a project in this country has progressed. And I mean, it culminates on this stage. I mean, this is this is the marquee event for the entire sport.”

Viviana Solano and her husband Luciano Ramirez were at Wunder Garten during a visit in D.C. for Solano to act as an anonymous bone marrow donor for a local patient (as a result, she wasn’t allowed to drink and traded beer for ginger ale). When the couple’s flight back to Orlando was delayed, they decided to spend their afternoon rooting for the U.S. team with a crowd.

“In D.C. [while] the USA plays? Heck yeah, we’re going to be there,” Ramirez told DCist/WAMU.

Just before the 40-minute mark the U.S. scored what would be the game’s only goal: Christian Pulisic ramming into the goalkeeper as he drove the ball home. Pulisic was injured in the collision and had to sit out the second half of the game.

https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/1597677266330329089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1597677266330329089%7Ctwgr%5Ec7f751113ee4420ab205495f149fac945810addd%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Flive%2F2022%2F11%2F29%2Fsports%2Fusa-iran-world-cup-scores

This only heightened nerves over the game at Wunder Garten, as fans watched the teams trade possession, neither one ever managing another goal. When the clock ran out on the match, the room again erupted in chants: “USA! USA! USA!”

The emotion in the room more or less speaks for itself:

Adam Ibrahim, 7, crosses his fingers as he clutches an American flag during play.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Fan reactions during playTyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Fan reactions during playTyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Fan reactions during playTyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Fan reactions during playTyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Hesham Ibrahim, right, kisses his son, Abdaloah Ibrahim, 10, left, during the game.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Viviana Solano, reacts to close play during the match as she watches with her husband Luciano Ramirez. They are from Orlando.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Crowd at Wunder Garten as the USA beats Iran in World Cup play. Crowd at Wunder Garten as the USA beats Iran in World Cup play. Youssef Ibrahim, waves an American flag as he celebrates with his brother, Abdaloah Ibrahim, 10, left, after the USA wins.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Crowd at Wunder Garten as the USA beats Iran in World Cup play. Youssef Ibrahim, top, hugs his father Hesham Ibrahim, right, and his brothers, Adam Ibrahim, 7, below, and Abdaloah Ibrahim, 10, left, after the USA wins.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
Crowd at Wunder Garten as the USA beats Iran in World Cup play.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU

If you care to catch any other games around town as the World Cup goes on, here’s a list of places holding events.

Filed Under: Arts and Culture, sports, World Cup 2022,