American soccer fans rise early (on a SATURDAY!) for do-or-die World Cup clash with Holland

In what is fast becoming a favorite pastime for American soccer fans, fans of the USA team are already packing into any establishment that promises to show today’s World Cup game against the Netherlands.

The 10 am EST Saturday start doesn’t appear to be much of a hurdle in many US metropolitan areas, such as Kansas City, where fans were seen gathering at an outdoor party in sub-zero temperatures.

At Brick Street Bar in Oxford, Ohio, home to the University of Miami campus, hundreds of fans were seen lining up around the block for another viewing party.

“At 6am we are fully powered by The Red, White, and Blue,” read a tweet from the bar.

Brick Street didn’t open until 8 a.m., but that didn’t stop students from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, from lining up around the block.

A ‘Go Team USA’ sign is displayed at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower,

Christian Pulisic became an American star with the winning goal, and the injury he sustained while scoring it, which led the United States to the round of 16 of the World Cup.

He injured his pelvic bone, Pulisic insisted, when he collided with the Iran goalkeeper for a goal that sent him to the hospital as the United States won 1-0 and advanced in soccer’s biggest tournament.

Pulisic has been cleared to play on Saturday, when the Americans face the Netherlands in the knockout round.

Everyone expected him to be on the field even before doctors gave him the all-clear on Friday.

“I will do everything in my power to work with this medical team and make sure I can play,” Pulisic said of his intention to be on the pitch.

The United States is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 and continue to delight the American audience, which has tuned in for the first three games in record numbers.

A win against the Netherlands could be enough to convince fans at home that the United States can, in fact, compete on soccer’s biggest stage.

“The support from the US has been a bit surreal,” Captain Tyler Adams said. ‘My dad is a teacher at the school, and everyone was watching during his classes, the game and supporting me. And he was getting videos of the family, all the watch parties in my town and all that.

“It’s really cool to see how much a tournament can change the perspective of people who support football.”

The United States is winless in its last 11 World Cup matches against European teams, a streak that includes five losses and six draws. On Saturday, the Americans take on a Dutch team that, like several other World Cup teams in this tournament, is battling the flu. The bug ran by Team USA last week.

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal gave his team the day off on Thursday instead of playing a typical 11-on-11 game.

“I gave them a day off,” Van Gaal said on Friday. ‘With this group they communicate that to me. I listen to my players.

He declined to elaborate on how many players are affected, but by abandoning the typical training schedule, Van Gaal has sparked speculation that at least six players are ill.

“We’re not going to elaborate on that,” he said. “But if it turns around in the group, it’s worrying.”

Frenkie de Jong said a sore throat disrupted his ability to communicate during a win over Qatar, and Marten de Roon told reporters he had a cold earlier this week.

Dutch midfielder Cody Gapko is trying to become the first player from his country to score in four consecutive World Cup games, and the Dutch team is riding an 18-game winning streak that the United States is determined to break.

“We feel a responsibility to use this World Cup to build momentum in the United States for soccer,” USA coach Gregg Berhalter said. “And that’s why we want to keep going and we want to keep doing it right and making the country proud.”