BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Team USA is heading to the knockout stage of the World Cup after shutting out Australia 2-0, and young soccer players in Baltimore County were watching every minute of it.
A group of campers at former Baltimore Blast player Keith Van Eron's Pro Soccer Camp spent the day on the field before gathering for a watch party at Ryleigh's Oyster in Hunt Valley to cheer on the US.
"We just didn't want to miss it. I remember when I was a kid, we actually did this, and it was one of my best memories watching the US play. We wanted to do it again and let the next generation get in on it," Camp Director Keegan Bremer said.
Young Maryland soccer players watch Team USA advance to the World Cup knockout stage after 2-0 win
Camper Eddie Hanley said watching the pros gave him a new perspective on his own training.
"They were shooting really good, seeing how we do that and how they do it, it's like pretty cool how we're learning like they did when they were our age," Hanley said.
The camp runs for about 13 weeks and includes more than just soccer.
"We do soccer, flag football, all kinds of different sports, we go to Sky Zone, every week we go to Hershey Park," Bremer said.
But Bremer hopes the World Cup watch party stands out as a highlight.
The campers also had some constructive criticism for Team USA.
"In the beginning, we were doing super good, but at the end we got sloppy with the passing and stuff, which we should work on to win," Jack Prendville said.
Bremer said the match gave him a chance to reinforce lessons about sportsmanship.
"We go over it, we tell them, you can't act like that in matches like that. They see people getting yellow cards, red cards and that's the last thing they want," Bremer said.
And for Bremer, watching his campers get inspired by the world's biggest soccer stage is exactly what coaching is all about.
"Motivates them to get better, to practice harder, so it's like a dream come true for a soccer coach, I'm like in heaven here," Bremer said.
The camp runs all summer long. As long as Team USA remains in the World Cup, the campers plan to keep watching.
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