Cars lined Gravois Avenue as drivers honked their horns and others waved the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There was a sea of people in Bosnian blue and yellow outside Bevo Caffe Lounge in south St. Louis. They were upbeat, taking group photos and chatting excitedly.
The big FIFA World Cup match had ended. Bosnia lost.
But for many St. Louisans, just getting the chance to see the men's Bosnian national soccer team compete on the world stage was a victory that transcended the numbers on the scoreboard.
The team qualified for the world's most prestigious soccer competition for just the second time with a surprise win against Italy in March. The players trained in St. Louis ahead of the tournament, played a June exhibition match with Panama at Energizer Park and then made the knockout round, advancing further at the World Cup than in the team's first appearance.
All the hubbub fostered deeper connections within the local Bosnian community.
For some, the team's appearance in the World Cup was a message to the rest of the world.
"People tried to erase us," Lejla Sobo said before Wednesday's match between Bosnia and the U.S., referring to the ethnic cleansing campaign perpetrated by Serbia that sent hundreds of thousands of Bosnian refugees fleeing in the 1990s.
Sobo's parents were among them, and she was born in the U.S.
"Just coming together," she continued, "this means a lot for our community. It's celebrating the fact that we weren't erased."
The historic World Cup run may have made the biggest impact on the youngest in the community, many of whom discovered a new connection to their families' past.
"I came here as a 13-year-old, and now I have kids that are U.S. citizens," said Melisa Kusuran as she waited for the match to start. "They've never been around this type of energy, these types of crowds. To see the community come together and really rally around this small little community, this small little country, it's really phenomenal. I think our kids are saying, 'We get it now.'"
Her friend Abina Pasic, who came to the U.S. at 16, jumped in.
"Our kids were born here, they're American. But to see them rooting so hard for our country and being so passionate about it, it's just so amazing."
World Cup season kicked off with a raucous pep rally at Das Bevo in May, preceded by a parade to the event by the St. Louis Dragons youth soccer club. The exhibition match at Energizer Park was one of the largest gatherings of Bosnians ever held in St. Louis.
Bevo Caffe Lounge hosted hundreds of fans for World Cup watch parties, and TVs in gathering spots across the region were glued to the Bosnian team's exploits as it earned a draw with Canada, lost to Switzerland and defeated Qatar — a trio of performances good enough for the team to advance past the opening stage of the tournament for the first time.
Even for locals who are quick to note that St. Louis houses one of the largest communities of Bosnians outside Europe, the well-attended events made an impression.
"I know that there's so many of us, but until I see something like this I just can't actually visualize it. I've always loved my country and my community, but this just makes it feel so much more special than even that," said Admir Brakic, who came to the U.S. in 1997.
The pairing of the U.S. and Bosnia in the World Cup's Round of 32 came about partly through the luck of the draw. But it provided the perfect occasion for St. Louis Bosnians to express the complicated emotions experienced by many immigrants — pride in their ancestral home combined with commitment to the community in the U.S. where they've made a life.
"We're Americans and we're Bosnians," Kusuran said. "Regardless of what happens, it's ultimately a win."
Although there were few U.S. team jerseys to be found at Bevo Caffe Lounge during the Bosnia match, there was little obvious dismay when Bosnia lost by a score of 2-0.
"Go Bosnia, go U.S. I would not want to lose to any other country but the U.S.," Pasic said. "I will not be mad if Bosnia does lose, because we are United States citizens. This is our home, so it's a good team to lose to."
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