"I wanted to support my team man. I live in Philadelphia. I'm out here with my boys. America's playing right now! America's playing!" Alban Peroy of Wyncote said.
"I felt like it was gonna be a lot of people out today of all different cultures, all different colors. Everyone's out to see the World Cup. It's the biggest experience in the world so to have it here in the US on the 250th. I wanted to come out and experience what that was gonna be like," said Matthew McIntyre of Port Richmond.
"It's so cool to see so many people out here. It's very hot out, but that's not stopping people," said his wife, Meredith McIntyre.
But residents in Brewerytown, just blocks from the fan fest, said the event has brought significant traffic problems.
Neighbors reported drivers speeding through residential streets and making illegal U-turns after encountering road closures.
"And I get it, it's not a driver issue. It's a city issue. There's no signage alerting people that there's road closures ahead so they're just doing a loop," resident Nicole Ross said.
Some neighbors have put up their own signs, including several on the 2900 block of Ogden Street.
Councilmember Jeffrey Young said he has asked the Streets Department to install official signage in the area.
"A neighbor had an incident where their 5-year-old almost got hit going through a crosswalk because a car was making a U-turn in the crosswalk," a resident said.
The fan fest is expected to continue drawing large crowds, while residents say they hope the city will address traffic and safety issues soon.