2 a.m. kickoff? No problem: Minnesota fans stay up overnight to cheer U.S. women in World Cup
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, St. Paul’s Black Hart Bar was still bustling with soccer fans. The crowd of 70-or-so breathed a collective sigh of relief when the final whistle blew in the U.S.-Portugal Women's World Cup game, ending the tense match in a 0-0 draw.
It wasn’t the outcome that U.S. fans wanted, but it was just enough to confirm the Americans’ spot in the next round of the tournament being played on the other side of the world in New Zealand and Australia. And in St. Paul, it kept fans on the edge of their seats until just before 4 a.m.
“If I was at home, I’d probably be too tired to watch the game, but you get out with the crowd and it’s just good energy and fun,” said Melissa Herrig, a fan who got to the bar just after 1 a.m. to catch the 2 a.m. kickoff.
The U.S. women came into this World Cup as the favorites to take the trophy for the third time in a row — something no other team, men’s or women’s, has ever done. They didn’t make as strong a showing in the group stage as they were expected to, finishing second in their group of four — behind the Netherlands — with one win and two draws.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
It’s been a stressful tournament for the team’s supporters. And the time difference doesn’t make it easy to watch from the U.S. But that’s not stopping fans.
“Soccer is pretty much my life,” Herrig said. “Obviously, we want to win.”
Women’s soccer is growing. This year’s Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia is the biggest yet, featuring 32 teams instead of 24 as in the past. The tournament has drawn record ticket sales, and the Americans' group match against the Netherlands last week broke streaming records for a group stage game.
It’s on the rise in Minnesota, too. The state’s pre-professional women’s team, the Aurora, gained a dedicated fanbase in its first two years on the field, breaking attendance records at TCO Stadium in Eagan. The Aurora and Minnesota United are both hosting watch parties for some of the Women's World Cup games.
That growth is clear at Black Hart. The bar is opening for all of the games that the U.S. plays in, as well as some of the knockout round games and the final match, which will air at 5 a.m. Central Time on Aug. 20.
Wes Burdine is the owner of Black Hart. In his years as a soccer fan and the bar’s owner, he’s seen the recognition of women’s soccer grow, and he knew his bar needed to be a home for fans.
“There’s absolutely been more avenues to support women’s soccer,” Burdine said. “We had a packed bar four years ago for the women’s [World Cup] games. And this year, even the group stage games were filled to the gills with over 200 people in every nook and cranny of the bar getting together to celebrate.”
Tuesday’s crowd wasn’t as big as an evening game, but it was a bigger night than Burdine predicted. The bar opened for a few Men’s World Cup games at odd hours of the morning last winter, and Burdine said they would get about 30 people.
The bar is a unique spot — just a block away from Allianz Field, Minnesota United’s home stadium, it’s branded itself as a soccer bar. It’s also St. Paul’s oldest gay bar.
Burdine bought the bar — formerly known as Town House Bar — in 2018. He envisioned the spot as a home base for Twin Cities soccer fans, but he didn’t want to uproot the queer community that had already found a home there. Now, the bar fills up for Loons games, but also for regular drag shows.
That overlap confuses people sometimes. But Burdine said the Women’s World Cup is one of the times that that intersection is clearest.
“There’s absolutely a large overlap of queer women soccer fans,” Burdine said. “It's a really tight-knit community of people.”
The crowd on Tuesday was at least half women — a departure, Burdine says, from a typical Loons watch party.
The lively crowd found reasons to cheer and groan despite the scoreless tie. One of the loudest rounds of applause of the night came when star player Megan Rapinoe —– who's featured in a larger-than-life mural on Black Hart’s wall outside — subbed into the game in the second half. She didn’t deliver the winning goal that fans hoped for, but she aided in a few chances the U.S. had to score late in the second half.
That energy is why Burdine keeps opening Black Hart’s doors in the middle of the night, even if the crowds are small and the sales are low.
“It’s not, like, financially worth it,” Burdine said. “But the whole point is having a space where people create community and create memories.”
The next U.S. game will be Sunday at 4 a.m. Central. They’ll likely face Sweden, a formidable team that the U.S. had hoped to avoid. And Black Hart will be open to screen the game.