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July 1, 2014 / 3:38 PM / Updated July 1, 2014 at 3:51 PM

Washington gets in the spirit of the World Cup

President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry and dozens of lawmakers cheered on the U.S. Men's National Team for their World Cup match against Belgium Tuesday.

By Gabrielle Levy
Washington gets in the spirit of the World Cup
United States' soccer fans cheer after finding out they will advance to the next round, as they watch United States play Germany in the World Cup on a giant television screen in Washington, D.C. on June 26, 2014. USA lost 1-0 but will still advance. UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo

WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Washington has caught a bad case of World Cup fever, and if past is prologue, all eyes in the city will be tuned to Tuesday's USA versus Belgium match.

The capital has tuned into coverage of the Cup at an unmatched rate, with ESPN announcing the Washington, D.C., market leading all others through the group play round.

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And with watch parties underway as they were for the USA-Germany match last week, even less than usual will get done in Washington Tuesday afternoon.

President Obama, who held a Cabinet meeting in the late morning and dropped by to deliver a speech in Georgetown, joked that he had to get his work out of the way ahead of the match.

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"I thought I'd get the Cabinet together this morning because we all know that America will be busy this afternoon," he said at the cabinet meeting. "Go Team USA!"

For the match against Germany last week, the president managed to squeeze in some game-watching time while traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., aboard Air Force One.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry, a huge soccer fan and a former varsity player at Yale, made sure to bring along his personalized U.S. Men's National Team jersey along on a trip to Panama.

A spokesman for the State Department said Kerry was "hoping to catch the end of the game on his return flight this afternoon."

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Members of Congress, out of town for the Fourth of July recess, also turned to Twitter to share their patriotic spirit.

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Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., even took up U.S. Coach Jürgen Klinsmann's suggestion and filled out an excuse note.

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Below, a collection of tweets from lawmakers cheering on the USMNT.

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