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World Cup Fever Grips New York City Soccer Fans

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Fans were bedecked in red, white and blue Monday evening, as the U.S. took on Ghana in the World Cup.

As 1010 WINS' Holli Haerr reported, many fans gathered for the game at Nevada Smiths, at 100 Third Ave. in the East Village.

Listen: World Cup Fever Grips New York City Soccer Fans

Rob, of New Jersey, is originally from Tanzania. He was rooting for the U.S. on Monday.

"The World Cup for me is big – it's huge – and the soccer for me is one of the biggest sports in the world," he said.

He said soccer is a game for everyone.

"It doesn't matter how big you are; how small you are," Rob said. "It's about talents. It's about skills."

Another patron, Nick from Bayport, is also a big fan.

"I've played soccer my entire life, and it's always been like a religion to me," he said.

"It's the pinnacle of football tournaments and its very eclectic," fan Johnny Holmes told CBS 2's Elise Finch.

A number of fans said it's the sportsmanship alone that draws them in.

"The level of play is much higher and the nationalistic pride kind of swells and gets the fans involved," said Il Sun Yoo of Long Island City.

All of those involved fans bring big money to the places where they gather. Paddy McCarthy, the owner of Nevada Smiths, said World Cup business is better than St. Patrick's Day, which is typically his busiest.

"The World Cup is like 35 St. Patrick's days all wrapped into one. It really goes on for about five weeks and it's fantastic," McCarthy said.

"It's a unique sport in the sense that a whole nation gets behind one team and roots for them to have a common goal," added Robert Manning of Bayport.

Ghana beat the Americans by identical 2-1 scores in the final group-stage game at Germany in 2006 and in the second round at South Africa four years ago.

On Monday, John Brooks scored the game winner for the U.S. with a header in the 86th minute.

The U.S., appearing at its seventh straight World Cup and 10th overall, has never lost to a team three straight times in the tournament.

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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