LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Free watch parties for the broadcasts of Saturday morning’s U.S.-Netherlands World Cup game will be held at LA Live downtown and several other locations.
Doors to Tom’s Watch Bar will open at 6:30 a.m. for the party organized by the Los Angeles Galaxy. The telecasts of the round of 16 game from Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar will begin at 7 a.m. in English on Fox and in Spanish on Telemundo.
A watch party organized by the Los Angeles Football Club will be held at Santa Monica Brew Works, with doors opening at 6:30 a.m. The watch party will include food and drink specials, and LAFC and partner giveaways.
Watch parties are also being organized by various chapters of American Outlaws, a nationwide support group for the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer teams. They will be at Lopez & Lefty’s in Anaheim; Arrow Lodge Brewing in Covina; The Surly Goat in Encino; Underdogs Sports Bar in Glendale; Underground Pub & Grill in Hermosa Beach and Legends Sports Bar in Long Beach.
This is the seventh time in its 11 World Cup appearances the U.S. has qualified for the knockout stage, including three of its last four. The Americans are 1-6 in the knockout stage, with the only victory coming in 2002 when they defeated Mexico, 2-0.
The U.S. is 16th in the rankings compiled by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body. Netherlands is ranked eighth.
The ABC News-owned data prediction website FiveThirtyEight.com gives the U.S. a 34% chance of winning and Netherlands a 66% chance.
The U.S. is 1-4-0 against Netherlands, with the only victory coming in the most recent game, June 5, 2015, with the U.S. winning, 4-3, overcoming a 3-1 deficit. Current U.S. men’s national team players Jordan Morris and DeAndre Yedlin both appeared in the game as second-half substitutes.
Current Dutch forward Memphis Depay scored while defender Daley Blind also played. Defender Stefan de Vrij and Steven Berghuis were unused substitutes.
If the score is tied at the end of regulation, 30 minutes of overtime will be played, divided into two 15-minute halves. If the score is tied at the end of overtime, the winner will be decided in a penalty kick shootout.