Fresno-area fans relish U.S. Women’s World Cup title

Central San Joaquin Valley soccer fans got together in many places Sunday afternoon to watch the U.S. women beat Japan 5-2 for America’s first World Cup title since 1999.

Andrew Denison and girlfriend Mikelle Azevedo showed up to The Mad Duck in Clovis an hour before kickoff and swooped one of the last remaining tables in the restaurant, one of the Fresno area’s noted soccer bars.

It was a wise decision, as those arriving late to the action missed part or all of the Americans’ early onslaught that put the team up 4-0 in the opening 20 minutes.

“I’d never have thought it,” Denison said, candidly emotional after Carli Lloyd’s goal from midfield that completed her hat trick. “The U.S. came to play. They showed up with a fire in their belly.”

At downtown Fresno’s Peeve’s Public House, fans overflowed onto the Fulton Mall, where a large TV and outdoor bar were set up to accommodate the 200-plus crowd decked in red, white and blue. Blue and white streamers hung from the tree-tops and many others added to the environment with painted faces and American flags. Red smoke bombs were lit after the final whistle to celebrate the victory.

“This place gets crazy! Every goal is ‘U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!’,” Chris Cruz yelled in the waning moments. “It’s a fantastic weekend to be an American.”

Fresno fan Amanda Ramirez, watching at The Mad Duck, showed her World Cup spirit on her shoulder.

The 30-year-old Fresno native made her first venture out of the country this summer and went to Winnipeg, Canada, for the group stage of the Women’s World Cup. Ramirez bought a stadium pass and attended all the group matches at Winnipeg Stadium, including the United States’ 3-1 opening win over Australia and scoreless draw against Sweden.

While there she got a tattoo of the American flag in the shape of the Canadian maple leaf along with the year 2015 in Roman numerals. It’s the same symbol attached to the #USA hashtag used across social media for the tournament.

“It was my first time in Canada and I had to get it,” Ramirez said. “Right after I got it done, I just had this feeling that it was over. That the U.S. was going to win the cup.”

“This team showed the country to just keep believing,” Ramirez added, noting that Sunday’s final wa a rematch of the Americans’ tough loss to Japan in the 2011 Women’s World Cup final. “It’s real. It’s not cheesy or cliché. This team has added a whole new sense of what it means to be an American.”

This story was originally published July 5, 2015 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Fresno-area fans relish U.S. Women’s World Cup title."