Hermosa Beach >> It’s not often sand volleyball courts stand silent on a sunny June afternoon in this South Bay beach town.
But surf and sand were no match for World Cup soccer Monday, when an outdoor viewing party for the opening U.S. game of the tournament against Ghana drew an estimated 1,200 sun-burnished fans who swamped Pier Plaza in a sea of red, white and blue.
In an indication of just how much American fan interest in the sport has grown since the last World Cup in 2010, that was about double the crowd the U.S.-England game drew four years ago to the plaza — and that was held on a weekend, not a weekday.
“We’re glad it’s a work day, the middle of the day,” said City Manager Tom Bakaly as he watched the densely packed, but generally well-behaved crowd bounce up and down. “We have limited resources with (police) officers so this is about the right size of crowd for us.”
While city officials were taken aback by the size of the crowd, fans were not.
“I have faith in the U.S. fans,” said Jacqueline Santos, 25, of Highland Park as she stood in Patrick Molloy’s Sports Pub snacking on pizza and beer. “I knew it was going to be packed. It’s my new favorite place.”
The real surprise to knowledgable veteran fans was the result.
Ghana had knocked the Americans out of the tournament in South Africa four years ago. Drawn in the so-called group of death that also includes European heavyweights Portugal and Germany, an inexperienced U.S. team was given little chance of advancing by most pundits without a win over Ghana.
Yet, the Americans duly delivered a victory — bookended by a Clint Dempsey goal just 30 seconds into the game and an 86th-minute winner that came four minutes from the end of regulation time. The winning U.S. goal had come just two minutes after Ghana had equalized to temporarily quieten the crowd.
“I represent the collective emotion of all people like myself who have supported U.S. Soccer for the past 10 years,” said Chris Villa, 30, of South Los Angeles as he brandished a gold model of the World Cup trophy after the game. “Since I was a kid in ’94 when the World Cup touched me I have not deviated and I will always be faithful to the USA.”
A knot of about 30 colorfully clad Ghana natives banged on drums and blew on whistles supporting their nation.
““The (Ghanian) community is small so we know each other,” said Cynthia Asante of Encino. “We’re having a great time. We love the USA. It’s our second home. But, unfortunately, we have to play them and Ghana is
our motherland so we have to support them.”
Still, the result emboldened American fans swept up in a sudden wave of optimism.
“You know who the U.S. isn’t afraid of?” asked Chris Crawford, 51, of El Segundo. “Germany. Bring it on!”
The U.S. plays Portugal on Sunday and the Germans on June 26 to close out group play.
San Pedro resident Jerry Tello, who was dressed in a red-white-and-blue Mexican wrestling luchadore mask, said he knew from the outset the U.S. could win — and luck played no part in it.
“They showed up today and they won,” he crowed. “This is a revenge match.”