— Photos by Christa Lee

By Christa Lee

The FIFA World Cup final was screened live at Union Square on Sunday, led by Somerville’s Chamber of Commerce and in collaboration with other businesses, including Nossa Rádio, EventThem, and local food vendors. A large crowd in high spirits was gathered in front of the outdoor TV screen to root for either Spain’s or Argentina’s national teams.

Jennifer Lawrence, chair and director of Somerville’s Chamber of Commerce, sat side-by-side with colleague Joanna Haley, office manager of the Chamber, at the entrance checking in customers and distributing flags to wave around and add to the festive atmosphere.

“I just think it shows how great it can be when you work together, and they call it the people’s game for a reason. People come together,” said Lawrence. “It just shows how wonderful an international event like this can be. You come together as a community, you talk to one another, and you celebrate.”

Hundreds attended the outdoor screening of the FIFA World Cup final in Union Square.

El Sonorense, Crêpe du Jour, and Just Ice Tea had booths to sell food and beverages. If you craved something else, any one of the neighboring businesses would do.

The event was a collaboration across multiple businesses. “The City of Somerville was a huge partner,” said Lawrence. “The Goods in Davis Square was a big partner. Somerville Foundation partnered on that one as well. And then we had East Somerville, Main Street, and East Somerville. It was a major effort.”

At the halftime break, there were 560 people at the event, but more were expected by the end since about 1,000 people had registered to attend. Many of the crowd cheered when the referees called the final over, resulting in Spain’s national team being dubbed the winner of this year’s World Cup.