BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A packed house in northwest Bakersfield came unglued Friday as the U.S. men's national soccer team beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle, marking the first time in program history the team has advanced to the knockout round with a game still to play.
Hundreds of fans gathered at Legends Event Center and Lounge to watch the historic victory unfold.
For Elyse Gregorio, the watch party was a change of scenery from the week before, when she watched the U.S. take down Paraguay.
"It was such a fun game. The outcome, 4-1? Amazing. It was wow," Gregorio said.
Before Friday's match, fans predicted the U.S. would come away with a win — and they were right.
Steven Cervantes said the performance has given him new confidence in this year's squad.
"I think we could go pretty far in this tournament. I've never seen a US team like this before. They play aggressively. We used to always defend this different US team, a young US team," Cervantes said.
Michael Harville was equally enthusiastic after the final whistle.
"This is amazing, we are in. This is the best we've ever done," Harville said.
The U.S. men's team will take on Turkey next week in the knockout round.
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