The USA-Germany World Cup match is being talked of as a watershed moment for football’s popularity in the States.<br /><br /> Among the millions who watched the game at home, in bars or in public parks, supporters of both countries came together in Washington’s Dupont Circle.<br /><br /> The media dubbed it a “family affair”: Americans are coached by German world champion Jürgen Klinsmann and are stacked with German-born players and staff. <br /><br /> “I believe that we will win!” chanted one group of American fans as they jumped up and down in anticipation.<br /><br /> The US lost 1-0, but both nations still qualified for the knockout stage – the Americans taking second place in Group G, edging ahead of Portugal on goal difference. <br /><br /> The outcome left fans ecstatic, with comments such as these:<br />“Great time! We advance to the next round, we are good to go!”<br />“It’s great that we made it through, I’m very happy. Also happy that Germany made it through, I’m also a Germany fan, but USA first.”<br />“Before the game, we were fighting and were, like, really upset. And now we’re friends.”<br />“We got like 30 of us, a good group of friends, most of us are Americans, but we have got a few German fans. We had a great time, America advances, so we couldn’t ask for anymore.”<br /><br /> No other country has sent more fans to Brazil for the tournament than the US: an estimated 100,000 are said to have made the trip.<br /><br /> Twenty years after the US hosted the World Cup, soccer as it is called there is finally said to have come of age – gaining ground on the traditional sports of American football, baseball and basketball.<br /><br /> Americans are now relishing the last-16 – and a clash with Belgium.<br /><br /> Reporting from Dupont Circle in Washington, euronews correspondent Stefan Grobe said:<br />“Americans have survived another nail-biting thriller and football fever will live on – at least until Tuesday.”
