BEAVERCREEK — A restaurant in Beavercreek hosted its first-ever World Cup watch party on Monday for the U.S. men’s soccer team’s match against Belgium.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The Pizza Drive, located on Towne Road in Beavercreek, opened Monday night just for the event.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Juvenile shot multiple times in Springfield
- Coroner IDs man recovered from Madison Lakes
- Worker hurt after robbery at local Boost Mobile
For owner Amy Jones, the matchup carried personal significance, stemming from her three years living in Belgium.
Amy and her husband, Michael Jones, said they were excited to watch the game.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re closed or open today or if anybody comes; I’m going to be here watching the game,” Jones said. “We’re pretty excited about this game. I think we’re gonna be, you know, pleased with whatever the turnout is.”
Jones’s personal connection to the game ran deep.
“We lived in Belgium for three years, so it kind of holds a piece of our heart,” she said. “And you know soccer was really big when we were over there and that’s kind of when we started our love for soccer.”
The watch party also brought local soccer enthusiasts together.
Aaron Cheney, a soccer fan and former Beavercreek High School soccer player, talked about the community aspect of the event.
“It’s fun to kind of see and, you know, be a part of some community that’s here, you know, support our team,” Cheney said.
The owners of The Pizza Dive hope to host additional World Cup watch parties in the future.
However, the United States’ hopes for a deep World Cup run ended with a 4-1 loss to Belgium.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
