World Cup fans in Hawaii celebrate Team USA’s 2-0 win over Australia

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Soccer fans in Hawaii cheered as the U.S. men’s national team clinched a second straight World Cup victory, beating Australia 2-0.

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“I think we look really good,” said fan Tim Padgett.

With Friday’s win, Team USA secured a spot in the knockout round of 32 — a strong showing despite being without star Christian Pulisic, who is sidelined with a calf injury.

“His ball skills are incredible, keeping him down the left side of the field, watching him do his magic is gonna be nice, so hopefully they save him for when we really need him,” said Padgett.

Like so many around the world, Padgett has had this tournament marked on his calendar for years.

His love for the sport sparked in 2002, when he watched a match live in Japan.

“I got to go to the quarterfinal game. That was my first live experience for World Cup. It was just the most incredible experience I had,” said Padgett. “I was just pulled in by that and ever since, I can’t get away from it.”

Meanwhile, business is booming at Agave and Vine at Ala Moana Center. The sports bar has even extended its hours, opening up early so fans can come watch the games.

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“From the start of the FIFA Cup, everyone’s been super excited,” said Agave & Vine’s Kirsten Tsukamoto. “People are coming in early, especially because we’re in the mall, so we have a lot of tourists that walk past. So if they’re into football, soccer, they’ll be like, ‘Are you guys putting the game on?’”

Now the middle of summer, Hawaii is a hot destination for international visitors, and local restaurants and bars are capitalizing on it.

“The biggest one is Japan, we have so many tourists that come in. They have all these big groups and they’re so excited. Japanese people, they’re so fun because they love to cheer, so it’s very fun with them,” said Tsukamoto.

Padgett said, “International experiences like this, the Olympics, World Cup, it really brings the world together.”

Next, the United States will play Turkey on Thursday.

Catch all the action from the World Cup on Telemundo Hawaii, your home for every match in Spanish, available on Spectrum Channel 1022 and Hawaiian Telcom Channel 1013.

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