Air Force Tech. Sgt. Andres Macias and Master Sgt. Charles Schatzle celebrate a U.S. team goal while watching the World Cup July 2, 2026 at Chili’s Grill & Bar on Yokota Air Base, Japan. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — U.S. service members and civilians decked out in red, white, and blue erupted in applause Thursday at this airlift hub in western Tokyo as the U.S. men’s national soccer team defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina in a do-or-die World Cup knockout match.
Troops packed the bar at the Chili’s Grill & Bar at Yokota to watch the game, broadcast on the American Forces Network from Santa Clara, Calif., over beer, $5 margaritas and free chips and salsa.
The fans were upbeat after Folarin Balogun scored America’s first goal in the 45th minute but the mood in the bar, adorned with flags of nations participating in the tournament, turned tense mid-way through the second half.
Balogun was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle meaning the U.S. team had to play with only 10 men on the field. That turned out not to be a problem.
American enthusiasm for soccer — known anywhere else as football — has grown immensely since the U.S. last hosted the World Cup in 1994, according to a report by The Economist in November. Ten percent of Americans claim soccer as their favorite sport, placing it third in popularity behind football and basketball and just ahead of baseball.
Soccer’s growing popularity in America is due, in part, to streaming services that deliver action from European leagues to American viewers, according to The Economist.
This year, in addition to AFN broadcasts, the United Service Organizations is partnering with the Fox One streaming service to screen World Cup games at USO Centers for troops overseas.
Back at Chili’s, troops at the bar went wild when Malik Tillman’s free kick found the back of the Bosnian net in the 82nd minute to put the U.S. up 2-0.
Two members of the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron — Tech. Sgt. Andres Macias and Master Sgt. Charles Schatzle - clapped and high-fived among the ecstatic fellow fans at the bar.
Macias, sporting a replica U.S. team shirt and Team USA hat, said he’s a baseball fan but backs the national soccer team and his favorite player — Christian Pulisic, whose nickname is “Captain America.”
It’s satisfying to watch an American soccer team compete on the world stage, Schatzle added.
“This is going to be our best run in the last couple of decades,” he said.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo posted support for the team on X after the win.
“There’s no stopping Team USA!” the embassy posted. “A hard-fought win over Bosnia and Herzegovina keeps the @USMNT’s @FIFAWorldCup dream alive. Go USA!”
The U.S. team plays Belgium in the round of 16 in Seattle on Monday.
