Hundreds watch World Cup final at Shorewood party
Soccer fever shuts down a section of North Oakland Avenue for festivities
As the clock wound down to solidify France’s World Cup title over Croatia on Sunday, Stacey Meyer lifted the Tricolour and cheered.
Meyer had been rooting for France, where her ancestors lived before moving to the United States, the entire tournament.
In Sunday’s game, France beat Croatia, 4-2, and won the country’s second World Cup title.
Meyer’s plan after the game: “Run down the streets” waving the French flag in her bonjour tank top, she said.
Hundreds of people watched the game from the World Cup finals street party outside Three Lions Pub, 4514 N. Oakland Ave., in Shorewood.
The bar had shut down the section of North Oakland Avenue between East Glendale Avenue and East Kensington Boulevard to make room for a jumbotron and viewers who set up lawn chairs to cheer for their team. Other soccer-centric spots around town, such as Nomad Nacional, also hosted parties.
Meyer and her parents, who drove from Green Bay for the game, arrived with their lawn chairs around 8:30 a.m. for the 10 a.m. start.
Many were rooting for the underdog, Croatia, such as 9-year-old Samuel Young, who began the tournament hoping Colombia, where he has family ties, would win. He started rooting for Croatia after the team beat England, which knocked Colombia out of the tournament.
And some were just happy to watch. Mohamed Keita found both teams pulling at his heart. Keita said he loved Croatia’s Cinderella story but also found a connection to the French team. He was born in Mali, which was a French colony until 1960.