Fans of East Coast football teams who live in Hawaii know all about rising before the sun to watch big games.

So do sports bar owners. They can rely on healthy sized, loyal crowds. When Ohio State plays, Giovanni Pastrami in Waikiki packs in the Buckeyes.

But soccer?

"You never really know what you’re going to get at 6 in the morning," said Bob Bach, owner of the Lewers Street sports bar. "But if four people showed up we’d be happy."

Well, that’s a nice sentiment, but I’m glad for Bach and his staff that around 120 fans gathered there to see the United States play Germany in a World Cup match Thursday.

And never has a 1-0 loss been more satisfying for a fan base.

Coupled with Portugal’s win over Ghana, it meant the Americans survived group play and advanced to the round of 16. The Germans also advanced. They dominated the group and the close score against the U.S. was deceiving.

I’ve seen both teams as jubilant at the end of a game before … as recently as Sunday, as 6-year-olds completed a Shetland division baseball game and made their way through the parents tunnel to their juice boxes and snacks.

Of course the kids have no concept of survive and advance, or scoreboard watching.

The American fans watching multiple TVs did have goals to cheer for Thursday. When the U.S.’s fate is determined partly by Portugal and Ghana, this is truly the world’s game.

"White Men Can’t Jump" was about basketball, but Gloria Clemente would totally get it.

Many have Rosie Perez’s character saying "Sometimes when you lose, you really win," on speed dial in their hippocampus. But who remembers the really deep part?

"Winning or losing is all one organic mechanism, from which one extracts what one needs."

Maybe that’s why Germany continued to assert itself offensively, even after Thomas Muller’s goal. There had even been a lot of pre-match talk about these teams playing for a tie.

"We wanted one more goal, keep the momentum and confidence for the next game," said Dominik Schroff, a 31-year-old finance student at Hawaii Pacific, from the Black Forest area of Germany.

He was also happy to see the Americans advance, since they are coached by Jurgen Klinsmann — a hero in his country for his exploits as a World Cup player and former national team coach.

The American sports fan is trained to hate "playing not to lose." Because often it will end in you losing when you shouldn’t, or tying, like what happened to the U.S. against Portugal.

There’s no question the Americans played tough against Germany, one of the two or three best teams in the world. But, by definition, they backed their way into the knockout round. Most U.S. fans seem to be OK with that, just happy to see their gritty, underrated team survive.

Tyler Bischoff, a 28-year-old Kalihi resident with the American flag painted onto his face, said it gets real, starting Tuesday against Belgium.

"No one will have to worry about being happy after a loss the rest of the tournament," he said. "From here on out it’s win or die."

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.