New York soccer fans were left brokenhearted Tuesday as they watched Team USA ousted from the World Cup in an overtime loss to Belgium.
Raymond Klein, of The Bronx, watched the match on a giant screen at the Studio Square beer garden in Long Island City, Queens, and dejectedly covered his face with the American flag as the US squad went down to defeat.
“C’mon, ref! C’mon!” Klein wailed as Belgium scored one of its goals in a 2-1 victory.
In Brooklyn, other fans were equally upset.
“It’s sad. I wish they would have gone further. They have a lot of heart,” said Takina Holloman, 32, of Kensington, watching under the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo.
Vani Thiyagarajan, 29, a pharmacist from Long Island added, “I’m disappointed. I left work early to get here . . . I’m going to have a drink and hopefully forget about all this.”
Soccer buffs — wearing face paint and wrapped in the Stars and Stripes — hung their heads as they filed out of the Nevada Smiths bar in the Village, where hundreds of fans had gathered.
“We played our hearts out . . . I’m extremely disappointed. I didn’t feel we’d win the World Cup but I thought we could beat them,” said Brandon Cruz, 28, an artist from Astoria, Queens.
Belgium dominated for most of the game, forcing the United States to depend on one spectacular save after another by goaltender Tim Howard, a New Jersey native.
“He’s absolutely amazing. He’s been a wall all game. He’s been our savior,” said Francesco Vivacqua, 24, of Astoria, Queens, t Studio Square.
Daniel Alonso, 27, of Elmhurst, Queens, said, “We came such a long way. It’s heartbreaking.”
Win or lose, some fans called the whole experience just plain fun.
“It’s awesome that we all come together as one team, one nation,” said Michael Ferrara, 24, of The Bronx.
Additional reporting by Antonio Antenucci