U.S. Takes on China: World Cup Viewing Party in Long Beach

Viewing parties for today’s United States-China 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal game will be held at five locations in Los Angeles County and in Tustin in Orange County.

The opening kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m from Ottawa, Ontario. The game will be televised in English by Fox and in Spanish by cable’s NBC Universo.

The Los Angeles and Orange County watch parties will be held at:

-- Bread & Barley, 130 N. Citrus Ave., Covina;

-- The Man Cave Ultimate Sports Bar and Lounge, 3575 Cahuenga Blvd., Universal City;

-- Q’s Billiard Club, 11835 Wilshire Blvd., Brentwood;

-- Shannon’s On Pine, 209 Pine Ave., Long Beach;

-- Underground Pub & Grill, 1332 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach; and

-- The Auld Dubliner, 2497 Park Ave., Tustin;

The viewing parties are organized by various chapters of American Outlaws, a nationwide support group for the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer teams.

Today’s game is the first time the U.S. will face China in the Women’s World Cup since the 1999 final at the Rose Bowl, when the U.S. won 5-4 on penalty kicks after regulation play and overtime ended in a scoreless tie.

The U.S. leads the series, 32-8-13, outscoring the Steel Roses, 93-35. The U.S. hasn’t lost to China since 2003 and has a 20-0-4 record against the Steel Roses since then.

China is 16th in the rankings compiled by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body. The U.S. is ranked second behind Germany.

The U.S. has a 88 percent chance of winning and China a 12 percent chance, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, the ESPN-owned website that analyzes data related to politics, economics, science, life and sports. The U.S. is the most likely team of the eight quarterfinalists to reach the semifinals, according to FiveThirtyEight.com

China’s 23-player roster includes two players who play in South Korea (defender Li Dongna and midfielder Ma Jun) and one who plays in Germany (goalkeeper Wang Fie). All the rest play for club teams in China.

China advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Cameroon, 1-0, on Saturday.

The U.S. has struggled offensively in the tournament, with six goals, including three in its opening game.

However, the Americans have been stellar defensively, not shutting out its opponents for 333 consecutive minutes after allowing a goal against Australia in the 27th minute of its opening match. The U.S. has allowed five shots on goal in its last three games.

The U.S. will be without midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe, who each received a yellow card in Monday’s 2-0 victory over Colombia, the second of the tournament for both players.

Today’s winner will advance to a semifinal Tuesday in Montreal against the winner of today’s France-Germany quarterfinal.

City News Service