KTLA’s Carlos Herrera was at the right place at the right time to see some history being made for the United States, as he watched a 12-year gold medal drought end while surrounded by dozens of rabid fans of women’s soccer at Hi Tops, a Los Feliz sports bar.
After the final whistle blew on the United States Women’s National Team’s 1-0 victory over Brazil in Saturday’s gold medal match, chants of “USA” broke out and Herrera high-fived fans as they celebrated the title.
While the U.S. is the dominant force in international women’s soccer, it has struggled on the Olympic stage. Saturday marked the first time since London 2012 that the team earned gold.
“My heart is beating super fast, I can’t believe it,” Herrera said. “I’m so proud to be here in L.A.”
Fans celebrated the win, but also took pride in the fact that support for women’s soccer, and women’s sports in general, seems to be at an all-time high.
“It’s very important to see the representation for women and it’s really great to see the growth in women’s sports,” one woman told Herrera.
The win on Saturday earned Team USA its fifth ever gold medal in women’s soccer. The team failed to medal at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and earned bronze at Tokyo 2020.