Success for World Cup watch party and Team USA

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Commercial Club organized a free watch party at the Waitsburg Farigrounds to cheer the U.S. team as it beat Australia, 2 -0, in a World Cup soccer game on Friday, June 19. The game was the US team's second match and its first played in Seattle for the 2026 World Cup.

The USMNT opened the tournement with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay l advancing the team to Round 32. It marks the team's first group‑stage topping since 2010.

The commercial club hosted over thirty people from Waitsburg, Walla Walla, Dixie, and Dayton. It provided crafts and coloring sheets for the kids, and attendees could purchase World Cup mascot keychains, stickers, and pens.

"Waitsburg Commercial Club is all about community, and that is what this event was about. We brought people together from our community and surrounding communities to watch a worldwide event. I'm so grateful to my executive team, Karen Huwe, Paul Mantz-Powers, Joy Smith, Tiffany Baxter, and local business owners Doug Biolo and Bart Baxter for supporting this event and helping make it a reality," said WCC's President Brittany Crane. "Also, a huge shout-out to our co-sponsors, Touchet Valley Soccer League and Palouse Valley Community Center, for joining us."