Boston To Host World Cup Viewing Party For Thursday's U.S. Match

Soccer fans in Boston have a public place to gather for Thursday’s World Cup match between the United States and Germany: City Hall Plaza.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, along with the New England Revolution, will host a viewing party beginning at 11:30 a.m. — 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled kickoff.

The match against favored Germany has important implications for whether the U.S. advances into the round of 16. (You can see a full breakdown of potential scenarios here.)

The U.S. had a chance to advance on Sunday against Portugal, but a late header by Portugal tied the match at 2-2, keeping the U.S. team's future in doubt.

The announcement of the viewing party comes just a day after Mayor Walsh expressed interest in the construction of a soccer stadium in Boston for the New England Revolution.

“It’s something I’d be interested in,” Walsh told the Boston Business Journal. “It’s worth looking at. I’m open to a lot of ideas. It’s about the growth of Boston. It’s something I wouldn’t turn down. There will have to be a lot of discussions about the location. I don’t know where it would go. We will have to see.”

The Revolution currently play at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium — home of the New England Patriots — a venue considered far too large for the Major League Soccer team.

Jonathan Kraft, president of the group that owns the Revolution, told the Felger & Mazz program on 98.5 The Sports Hub that a smaller, soccer-only stadium closer to Boston has been desired for more than a decade.

But Kraft said the potential stadium "didn't get a lot of attention." "I don't think this was something [former Boston] Mayor [Thomas] Menino saw the value in," Kraft said.