<\/p>\n
A banner for the American Outlaws is displayed during the international friendly between Portugal and the United States on March 31st, 2026 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.<\/p>\n
Icon Sportswire\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n
American Outlaws rooting on the United States Men’s National Team during a game between Belgium and USA at Atlanta Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n
Robin Alam\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Chris Brady of the United States and the American outlaws during the international friendly match between the United States and Senegal at Bank of America Stadium on May 31, 2026 in Charlotte, United States.<\/p>\n
John Dorton\/USSF\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Members of the American Outlaws watch the action during the international friendly match between the United States and Germany at Soldier Field on June 6, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.<\/p>\n
Michael Miller\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Wolff’s Biergarten in Albany to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Wolff’s Biergarten in Albany to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Members of the Albany Outlaws take part in a watch party for a game between the United States and England in the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Jennings Landing on Nov. 25, 2022.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Wolff’s Biergarten in Albany to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Wolff’s Biergarten in Albany to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Jennings Landing in Albany during a watch party for a 2022 FIFA World Cup game between the United States and England on Nov. 25, 2022.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Wolff’s Biergarten in Albany to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Jennings Landing in Albany during a watch party for a 2022 FIFA World Cup game between the United States and England on Nov. 25, 2022.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Jennings Landing in Albany during a watch party for a 2022 FIFA World Cup game between the United States and England on Nov. 25, 2022.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Soccer fans gather at Wolff’s Biergarten in Albany to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Albany Outlaws<\/p>\n
Chris LaPointe, right, and members of the Saratoga Outlaws gather at Bailey’s in Saratoga to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Chris LaPointe<\/p>\n
Chris LaPointe, center, and members of the Saratoga Outlaws pose for a photo before a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Chris LaPointe<\/p>\n
Chris LaPointe, center, and members of the Saratoga Outlaws pose for a photo before a U.S. Men’s National Team game against South Korea on Sept. 6, 2025, at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ.<\/p>\n
Provided by Chris LaPointe<\/p>\n
Chris LaPointe, center, and members of the Saratoga Outlaws gather at Bailey’s in Saratoga to watch a United States Men’s National Team game.<\/p>\n
Provided by Chris LaPointe<\/p>\n
Bailey\u2019s in Saratoga Springs opened its doors at 8 a.m., and the place quickly filled up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It was December 2022, the morning the United States Men\u2019s National Team faced the Netherlands in the first knockout round game of the World Cup in Qatar. While downtown Saratoga was still quiet, Bailey\u2019s was bustling. Tables were gone in no time, the patio was packed and by kickoff, everyone stood shoulder to shoulder, sharing the same nervous excitement.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
\u201cI got there about 7 in the morning, and I was tired,\u201d said Chris LaPointe, the president of the Saratoga Springs chapter of the American Outlaws<\/a>, the USMNT’s most prominent supporters’ group.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody was tired, but we all knew that this was going to be a special day.\u201d<\/p>\n The USMNT lost that match 3-1. Still, for the local fans at Bailey\u2019s, the morning showed that soccer had truly found a home in the Capital Region.<\/p>\n Make the Times Union a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n With the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> opening in North America this week, the American Outlaws chapters in Saratoga Springs and Albany are among the groups preparing for what could be the biggest moment yet for local soccer fans. When the USMNT plays its tournament opener against Paraguay at 9 p.m. on Friday, it will kick off a host of festivities throughout the region, with watch parties at Bailey’s in Saratoga, Wolff’s Biergarten and\u00a0Jennings Landing in Albany, and other locations across the Capital Region.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For local chapters of the American Outlaws, the World Cup being held in the United States for the first time since 1994 — and with the final set to be played at\u00a0MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. — makes this tournament feel closer to home than ever before.<\/p>\n \u201cThe World Cup is such a big event, and I truly believe it supersedes the Super Bowl tenfold,\u201d LaPointe said. \u201cThe fact that it\u2019s coming stateside, I think people are going to realize that soccer is way bigger than they think it is. And the sense of pride, the joy. Sometimes the sadness and anguish that could come from seeing these matches is part of the game. And I believe the communities that are brought to these events can bring a positive light not only to the sport but to the community as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The sport\u2019s growth extends beyond watch parties. Afrim\u2019s Sports now has six locations across the Capital Region, and local youth and adult leagues keep fields busy late into the night. Amateur clubs have enriched the area\u2019s soccer scene, and a minor league soccer stadium was recently proposed and then scrapped<\/a> for downtown Albany. With Wappingers Falls’ Tyler Adams anchoring the USMNT midfield for this World Cup and Bethlehem\u2019s Claire Hutton and Sleepy Hollow’s Sam Coffey rising as key players for the U.S. Women\u2019s National Team, the region has direct links to the sport\u2019s top levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAlbany is clearly a soccer town,\u201d said Dylan Williams, president of the Albany chapter of the American Outlaws.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The American Outlaws started in 2007 in Lincoln, Neb., as an unofficial supporters\u2019 group for U.S. Soccer. From one chapter, it has grown into a national network with more than 200 chapters, all united by watch parties, road trips and a shared love for the men\u2019s and women\u2019s national soccer teams.<\/p>\n The Saratoga Springs chapter, known as Chapter 138, has been around for about 12 years. It started informally at Harvey\u2019s on Phila Street, later became official, and eventually moved down the block to Bailey\u2019s Cafe. Now, the chapter has about 52 members, which LaPointe says is a good size for one of the smaller Outlaws groups.<\/p>\n Albany\u2019s chapter is bigger<\/a>, with just over 100 members, according to Williams. Their home base is Wolff\u2019s Biergarten on Broadway, a well-known spot for soccer fans. This summer, Albany supporters will also meet at Jennings Landing on the Hudson River for outdoor watch parties during the three USMNT group stage games, starting with Friday\u2019s match against Paraguay.<\/p>\n The goal, according to Williams, is to bring back and build on the atmosphere from the 2022 World Cup, when fans gathered at Jennings Landing for the USMNT\u2019s Black Friday game against England.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt was cold, and it rained for like 15 minutes,\u201d Williams said. \u201cBut nobody really cared.\u201d<\/p>\n The match ended in a 0-0 draw, without the kind of goal that brings a crowd together. Still, the setting made a difference. Jennings Landing offered something Wolff\u2019s sometimes can\u2019t \u2014 space. The beer garden can get crowded during big games, but outside, families can join, kids can watch and casual fans can wander in and feel included.<\/p>\n That kind of accessibility is a big part of what makes the Outlaws appealing. Both local chapters see soccer less as a product and more as a way to bring people together. LaPointe calls himself a \u201csocial butterfly\u201d who enjoys explaining the game to newcomers. Williams believes soccer is best watched with others who are ready to \u201cshare or suffer together as a community.\u201d<\/p>\n The word “community” comes up a lot.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In Saratoga, community means Bailey\u2019s opens early when needed, turns on one TV or all of them, and makes room for a group that has grown over four World Cup cycles. In Albany, it means Wolff\u2019s has become a permanent home for soccer and chapter members have their own team, the Albany Outlaws, who play together at Afrim\u2019s Sports every week.<\/p>\n Williams moved to the area from rural Long Island, where he didn\u2019t grow up with much soccer culture. In Albany, he discovered Afrim\u2019s, local adult leagues and a bar where soccer was always on. Over time, he made friends across the country through American Outlaws chapters and has traveled to more than 30 U.S. Soccer matches, both men\u2019s and women\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very inclusive environment,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThat kind of community that it builds was really exciting for me when I joined and now we get to try to perpetuate it.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams plans to attend a USMNT match in Los Angeles, but he criticized the cost and ticketing process, saying many devoted fans have been priced out.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the common person\u2019s sport,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a sport that only requires a ball and some space.\u201d<\/p>\n For many fans, a watch party might be the closest they get to the World Cup. That makes places like Bailey\u2019s, Wolff\u2019s and Jennings Landing even more important.<\/p>\n