Ryan Fraser sits at the bar at Tommy Doyle’s in Nonantum, wearing the iconic red and white stripes of the U.S. men’s national team. He has a beer in hand and his eyes are glued to one of the nine TVs around the bar that are showing the U.S. take on Belgium in the FIFA World Cup’s round of 16. It is the only game being shown here tonight.

Fraser, who lives in Watertown and is a regular at Tommy Doyle’s trivia night, has been following the team since the 2006 World Cup. But he became a “really big supporter” a few years later, sparked by games of pickup soccer and excessive amounts of the video game FIFA. This summer, he has watched all of the U.S.’s games. He even traveled to Kansas City to see Colombia defeat Ghana in the World Cup’s round of 32.

“It’s really cool to see the game on home soil and see America really embrace it,” he says. “I know in Boston, especially, we have embraced the Scots and the Norwegians, and it’s just really cool to see everyone just fall in love with the game.”

Wendy Seller, Will Howcroft and Brian Winters take in the game. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Fraser is just one of many local fans who have flocked to the Watertown Street pub hoping to watch the U.S. extend their run in the tournament. At kickoff, the bar area is filled with more than 20 patrons, and half of the tables in the dining area are taken.

It’s a good crowd for a Monday night in the summer.

“It’s definitely a good thing for us and all the businesses around here,” says owner Katie Velez, who is a casual soccer fan. “It’s a reason for people to come in and have a good time together. It’s been really great, especially when the U.S. is playing.”

The World Cup has been great for business, drawing in patrons at a time when many locals head out of town for vacation. As a result, “it’s not as much of a ghost town,” she says.

Erik Zalaya listens to the game on Spanish language radio and cheers on both teams from the kitchen. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

People are eating, drinking, and definitely following the game. The crowd shouts encouragement every time the U.S. advances. When the U.S. concedes a goal in the ninth minute, a collective groan goes up. Not the start that anyone was hoping for.

But it’s still early. In the 31st minute, there is a prolonged cheer from the kitchen. Fifteen seconds later, the rest of the bar sees the reason for the noise play out on television: the U.S. has scored! Huge cheers erupt from every corner of the bar. Maybe this is the year that American soccer finally, finally delivers on all of its promise.

The cheer that presaged the U.S.’s goal belonged to Erik Zalaya, Tommy Doyle’s head chef. Zalaya is working away in the kitchen and listening to the game on Spanish language radio, which is slightly ahead of the television broadcast shown in the bar. He likes both the U.S. and Belgium, so he cheers whenever there is a goal. His two favorite teams are Argentina, where his grandfather was born, and Spain. “It’s going to be Spain versus Argentina in the final,” he predicts.

Ryan Fraser watches the U.S. take on Belgium in a World Cup game at Tommy Doyle’s in Nonantum on July 6, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Only a few minutes later, though, Zalaya’s celebrations are heard again. As Belgium has possession, the bar knows what is about to happen. Belgium scores and now leads 2-1. It has not been a great half for the stars and stripes.

Sitting in a cozy, circular booth in the dining area are three more fans: Will Howcroft and Wendy Seller, from Newton, and Brian Winters, from Waltham. Howcroft and Winters are both former soccer players and general sports fans who have been keeping up with the World Cup this summer.

One of the things Winters has enjoyed most about the tournament has been its role as a cultural exchange. European fans have been “coming to the States and showing some positive attitude and happiness and joy,” he says. That joy has been infectious. “We’ve all traveled to Europe and seen how much they seem to enjoy life more than we can in the States now.”

Erik Zalaya listens to the game on Spanish language radio and cheers on both teams from the kitchen. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Coming out of halftime, there is still a sense that the U.S. might be able to mount a comeback for a historic win. But the air goes out of the room when Belgium scores a third goal on a series of blunders by the Americans’ back line. When Belgium nets another goal in stoppage time, people begin to settle their tabs. The U.S. has lost. The run is over.

As the final whistle sounds, a depressed, deflated Fraser stands up and heads to the door.

“I feel a lot worse than I did four years ago when they lost to the Netherlands,” he says. “A lot of self-inflicted wounds, and just down on the overall performance.”

But the curse of being a loyal fan is that you stick with your team through thick and thin. So in four years, when the next World Cup rolls around, Fraser knows exactly where he will be.

“I’ll be cheering them on just the same,” he says. “Ready to cheer them on to victory.”

At the end of the night, the bar could only watch as Belgian fans cheered their way into the quarterfinals. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon