Cup whets appetites, breaks hearts

Belgium broke US hearts with two extra-time goals in a 2-1 World Cup win on Tuesday, but the Americans depart soccer's global showcase having garnered a raft of new fans back home.

Thousands turned out at Veterans Park in Redondo Beach, California, a coastal town just south of Los Angeles, to watch Juergen Klinsmann's plucky men battle Belgium for a quarter-final berth.

It was just one of the many "watch parties" that have drawn huge crowds in cities across the country, and included not only longtime fans of soccer and the US team, but also those like Jackie Marchand, who described herself as a "new soccer fan".