The John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum in Manchester likes to root for the underdog. The center is hosting a series of World Cup watch parties this week and next, including one on Wednesday afternoon between Portugal and DR Congo.
Keating Tufts went with his daughter, Vivian, a day before she turned 4. As a lifelong soccer fan, he’s excited for a family-friendly space in the Queen City to join him in cheering for his favorite sport.
“It's always hard to find a place to watch the games, even the national teams,” he said. “It's been really cool to be able to come here, sit with a bunch of people and watch these games in the arena on the big screen.”
The tense match ended with a tie, but it felt like a victory for the fans at the coliseum. Wedneday's match was the first time Congo scored in a World Cup, and the last time they qualified was in 1976 as Zaire – but Congo wasn’t the only one breaking records, since this is the first time the city is hosting watch parties for the World Cup.
Manchester Alderman Jason Bonilla said live streaming the matches was a collaboration between different city departments, including the police, the public access TV station, and parks and recreation. He said the response from the community has been positive so far.
“We need some strong community,” he said. “Soccer brings us together. Regardless of the differences that we all may share, it's a sport that unites everybody.”
For soccer superfan Paxton Ducharme, a 1 p.m. game is just part of his schedule. He drove in from Milford to root for Congo. He’s been playing soccer since he was 6, all throughout college. But now that the World Cup is in his backyard, he’s clearing his schedule to watch the games.
“I've been planning this for about like six months, so I can get this month off so I can really lock in on this World Cup and come out, feel the community and express my love for the game,” he said.
The city will be screening two more matches at JFK Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, June 25: Curaçao v. Ivory Coast at 4 p.m. and Turkey v. the U.S. at 10 p.m.
