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In a matter of seconds, the mood went from ecstasy to disbelief.

But the stunning 2-2 tie in the final seconds of the World Cup soccer match between the United States and Portugal did little to dampen the excitement and sense of community shared by the 5,000 fans that had gathered at a downtown Richmond parking lot Sunday.

“It was absolutely awesome and a lot of energy,” said Richmond resident Chris McCracken. “There are so many different people rooting for the same team -- that’s just awesome.”

And Cary Wingl, her face painted with red, white and blue, said that in spite of the missed opportunity to drive home a victory, she’ll be back to share her passion for soccer with so many other fans.

“This is so cool -- the U.S. is just amazing,” she said.

Organizers of Richmond’s only official FIFA-approved viewing event began setting up at 5:30 a.m. Sunday at 1 W. Grace St., which is at Grace and North Foushee streets, in the parking lot of the YMCA.

Because of some technical difficulties, they used the cable TV box of a neighbor to stream the day’s games on what they said is the largest high-definition LED screen in the city.