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PROVIDENCE, RI — A Boston-based soccer fan group was up bright and early Sunday road-tripping to Providence, Rhode Island, to cheer on the U.S. Women’s National Team in the round of 16 knockout game against Sweden.
The impromptu joint event came to be after the American Outlaws Boston chapter had trouble securing a bar to open early for the 5 a.m. kick-off.
The American Outlaws (AO) is a United States soccer supporter group with 200 local chapters across the country, including three in Massachusetts.
“AO Boston had a little bit of a hard time putting together a bar that would open up at this hour, because of the laws in Massachusetts not from lack of interest,” said Vice President of the American Outlaws Providence Chapter Matthew Puglise. “They asked us, ‘Can we send everybody your way?’ and we said absolutely the more the merrier. Let’s do it!” The Brass Monkey bar in Providence opened its doors at 5 a.m. sharp to welcome in both AO Providence and AO Boston fans.
“It’s 5 a.m., there’s a bar full of people here watching a soccer game and they’re all excited to be able to do it together,” Puglise said. “We could all be doing this at home, but we chose to do it here together which makes soccer different from other sports.”
While it was a devastating finish for Team USA after falling to Sweden in sudden-death penalty kicks, it was still a memorable morning for the dozens of fans who gathered Sunday morning. “There’s just a sense of community, it really brings people together and that’s really what this is, it’s a bunch of people that I’ve never met before filling a bar, but standing shoulder to shoulder,” said Evan Cipriano, Vice President of the American Outlaws Boston Chapter. “It’s just a really special sport.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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