(Bryan Mullen, The Tennessean, 04.02.09)

NASHVILLE — A soccer ball hit Matt Roberts in the head. And he couldn’t have been happier.

Draped in a huge American flag, Roberts was partying with friends outside of LP Field two hours before the U.S. Men’s National Team played Trinidad & Tobago in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. One of thousands of die-hard soccer fans attending the game, Roberts had flown to Nashville early Wednesday from his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich.

“I can’t tell you how crazy it is in the stadium,” said Roberts, 29, a youth soccer coach. “It’s a good time, and I’ll never miss another (qualifier) until the day I die. Everybody in Nashville has been really, really nice to us. We’ve had a great time with everyone from the taxi drivers to the people at the hotel.”

From the foreigners who flew in just for this event to thousands of local residents who took off early from work and school, an almost magical energy swept through downtown Nashville as Music City hosted its part of the most important soccer tournament on Earth.

Two hours before the 6:45 p.m. start, thousands of fans packed Lower Broadway, including most of Second Avenue from Joe’s Crab Shack to Riverfront Tavern. As fans moved closer to LP Field, the vibe became more intense.

American pride overflowed as chants of “U-S-A!” reverberated throughout the grounds. Outside of Gate 8, one of the loudest groups of U.S. fans guzzled beer, shouted witty chants, and had their bodies and faces painted in the colors of the American flag.

Wednesday’s 3-0 U.S. victory was the third of 10 qualifying matches for the Americans, who lead their six-team group. The top three teams in each six-team group qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The crowd of 27,959 was the largest to see a soccer match in the state’s history, topping the 26,141 who watched the U.S. team’s match against Morocco in 2006 at LP Field.

Although the crowd was expectedly pro-American, Trinidad & Tobago had a surprisingly strong following. A couple thousand fans dressed in the team’s red, white and black colors waved its country’s flag as they walked to the stadium.

Fans like competition

“There is a spirit, a camaraderie and togetherness,” said Devon Payne, 35, who was born in Trinidad and lived there for 20 years. “That’s part of Trinidad culture and customs. Something like this is a big event, not only for what is at stake right now regarding the World Cup, but also representing your country in a high level.”

Payne, who resides in Atlanta and works as a computer technician, was at the game with a small group of friends, many of them also natives of Trinidad & Tobago.

“We’re all just avid fans,” Payne said.

There was aa more distinct American flavor on the south side of the stadium. The Brentwood Soccer Club had a massive tent set up and families involved with the youth soccer organization tailgated and kicked soccer balls around. 

“It’s exciting to see real competition and to see what the pros are like,” said Ryan Gallagher, 12, who attends Woodland Middle School and had his hair colored red, white and blue. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. It would be awesome to see them back every year.”

Gallagher’s father, Dave, who wore a soccer ball hat with two American flags sticking out, said he was having the most fun Wednesday just by watching his son’s excitement. He acknowledged the game itself was of huge benefit to the city.

“I think it’s a big step forward for Nashville to be recognized as a host city by U.S. Soccer,” said Dave Gallagher, 39, a Williamson County resident who owns a small business. “It’s a big feather in our cap. It’s also a testament to a lot of the youth soccer here, too, that supports it.”

The excitement grew as hordes of fans entered LP Field just before kickoff.

Fans in stands struck tambourines and blew whistles. Banners were held that stated ‘We Are The Yanks!’ A beach ball was batted onto the field less than a minute into the game from Sam’s Army, the unofficial and notoriously rowdy U.S. fan club perched behind the opponent’s goal.

But for all the loud tailgating, singing and chanting, the volume hit a peak 13 minutes into the match when the U.S. scored its first goal. It was followed by trails of streamers that flew onto the field as well as a small smoke bomb from Sam’s Army. No one panicked or acted as if it were out of place.

The electric atmosphere didn’t go unnoticed by the participants.

“When you have a crowd like that who cheers you on for the whole 90 minutes, it’s a big factor,” said. U.S. forward Jozy Altidore, who scored all three goals. “It’s an extra man. It gives you more energy and it definitely helped us tonight.