SOCCER FANS' CUP RUNS OVERTIME

Early morning and late night World Cup games have created sleepless sports fans nationwide, and in Cape Girardeau

By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian

For about two early morning hours, Bryan Ross and a group of friends sat in front of the big screen in his basement engrossed in soccer.

Biting their nails. Holding their breath. Wincing with every corner kick and shouting with every shot fired as the U.S. battled Germany in World Cup play early Friday morning.

For Bryan Ross, although victory was expected, he was proud of the way the United States had played so far and believed that America's soccer future is bright.

"I thought it was good that we played great and got this far," he said. "We'll probably go further and further until we eventually win it."

The United States, who finished last at World Cup '98, were coming into the game as 5-to-1 underdogs. But Ross and his fellow Cape Girardeau Central High School soccer teammates were believers.

"We've had opportunities," one said.

"They're beatable," shouted someone on the couch.

Confidence brimmed from the loyal fans, some of whom had not even bothered to go to bed the night before.

Hanging out

For Ross and the others, watching the not-on-prime-time World Cup was almost as much about hanging out with the guys and having a good time as it was about watching soccer. Earlier Friday morning. about 3:30 a.m.,they had played three-on-three soccer to kill some time before the U.S. game.

"We've had some long and interesting nights," said Aaron Bornstein.

David Ross, who stayed up into the wee hours for many of the games with his son and his friends, enjoyed having the group at his house.

"They're all soccer players," he said. "It just helps to build their appreciation of the game."

Fueled by doughnuts and Denny's from the previous night, the group of 16-somethings wouldn't let the Americans go down without a fight. From quips about certain players' skills, or lack of them, to screaming at the referee, the group did everything but score a goal.

With Germany and the U.S. playing a tight game through the entire match, the fans could hardly peel their eyes away from the screen, or even carry on a conversation. They used the 15 minutes of halftime for a quick nap, which came at 7:30 a.m., well before their normal wake-up times.

During the commercial break a spot came up for the British Open. "Lets have a British Open party," a half-awake fan on the couch joked.

"Is that golf or tennis?" another asked.

Group yells

Early in the second half the United States nearly scored, but a German defender saved the ball with his hand. The group roared in disgust.

The mood was grim -- with the score reading 1-nill in favor of the bad guys -- and time was running out, until suddenly a ray of hope came off the head of U.S. defender Tony Sanneh.

His header hit the side netting and for a second had all of the sleep-deprived fans on their feet.

Someone yelled "Goal!" and everyone was screaming, before they groaned, realizing the shot had gone wide.

Unfortunately, after two weeks of long nights and early mornings, staying up for every U.S. game, the gang of loyal soccer fans saw America's Cinderella run come to an end.

"They kind of had a Carolina Hurricanes run going through the World Cup," said Bornstein. "They just missed too many wide open opportunities in the Germany game."

With disappointment looming throughout the room, a shout of, "lets go to bed," came from somewhere on the couch. "Turn the TV off, turn it off," shouted another saddened fan.

Jordan Duncan, 16, said he thought the Americans' performance in this Cup will go a long way in improving soccer in this country.

"A lot of people didn't think we'd make it this far," he said. "I think soccer gained a lot more respect in the U.S."

For the teenagers the grieving period was brief though, as a call for "Halo," an X-Box game, came from the group about five minutes after the final whistle blew. The teens were quickly engrossed in the video game, oblivious to the loss they had just witnessed.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 226