A feast of (the other) football continues at the FIFA World Cup.
Friday, the U.S. Men’s National Team has a big showdown when they play England, which some consider a favorite to win the tournament.
Kenneth Acosta, father of Kellyn Acosta, of Plano, is in Qatar to watch his son play in person.
“It’s pretty amazing here,” said Acosta, from his 11th-floor hotel room balcony in Qatar.
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For Acosta, it hasn’t been a traditional Thanksgiving.
“Having a blast. There's a lot of fans here, just going to the game. We just came from a watch party with a big Thanksgiving dinner,” he said.
Acosta was at Monday's match against Wales.
“When the anthem started everybody got goosebumps and we started chanting ‘U.S.A.’ and it was just really exciting,” recalled Acosta.
His cellphone was recording when Kellyn Acosta entered the game for the first time.
“It was really exciting to see him come on and see his dream come true being his first World Cup and being the first Japanese-American to represent the team, it was just really unbelievable,” said Acosta.
Kellyn Acosta was born in Plano and started soccer at age four, the same age as his son Emerson who had advice for dad.
“Hey daddy, you can win this, just try to get over their heads,” Emerson said in a video posted by the UNMNT.
Kellyn Acosta, 27, went through the FC Dallas Academy and played for the team. He now plays for LAFC which recently won the MLS Cup Championship.
The match Monday ended in a disappointing but not disastrous 1-1 draw against Wales.
Now, after a week of watch parties and tours, fans and families have their sights set on an upset.
“It's the youngest team in the World Cup. They're hungry, they've got this fire burning within them and they're going to come out and it’s going to be a battle,” said Acosta.
Fans can cheer on the U.S. Men's National Team Friday at Toyota Stadium.
FC Dallas is hosting another watch party for the match against England inside the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
