Family of Long Island's Joe Scally moved to tears in Seattle following his World Cup debut with Team USA

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — When the U.S. takes on Türkiye in its final Group D match of the World Cup on Thursday night, it will be easy to spot Joe Scally's biggest supporters.

They'll be sitting four rows up from the SoFi Stadium field in Inglewood, California, wearing a facsimile of Joe's USA jersey with the defender's name and number 23.

The Scally clan will be out in force as the Americans aim to win an unprecedented third group-stage game (Fox, Telemundo, 10 p.m. ET). Twelve members of their extended family are expected to attend, including brother Drew, who flew in late Tuesday.

Scally, who grew up in Lake Grove, is the first men’s player from Long Island to perform in a World Cup. The Scallys have been involved in soccer for decades. The family owned Soccer World, a store that sold soccer uniforms and supplies, in Holtsville from 1990-2012.

Joe’s mother, Margaret, remembered when U.S. goalkeeper Tony Meola visited the store after the 1990 World Cup.

"He signed miniballs," she said on Tuesday. "The line was crazy, out the door, down the street."

Now, it's Joe's time to shine.

With four U.S. players likely to be benched to avoid receiving a second yellow card and being suspended for the Round of 32 match, it could open the door for Joe to receive more playing time against Türkiye (0-2-0), which has been eliminated.

"I'd be so happy for him," Margaret said. “Türkiye's a pretty good team. Who knows what their starting lineup's going to look like?”

"He worked so hard all year, played every game for his club," his father, John, said, referring to Borussia Moenchengladbach in Germany. "It'd be really exciting."

The Scallys experienced plenty of excitement in the 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle on June 19. That's when Joe made his World Cup debut, replacing Sergino Dest in the 80th minute.

They saw Joe warming up on the sideline.

"I said, get the cameras ready," John said.

When Joe ran onto the field, the Scallys teared up.

"It's very emotional for all of us," said Joe's fiancée, Ryan Chaisty, who attended Sachem North High School. "It happened so quick. We've been anticipating it for years. Been hoping for him that it would happen and that the time would finally come. And when it did, it just hit us all at once."

Joe's sister Anna called it "nerve-wracking."

"I was nervous, but very excited for him because he put all this effort in and worked very hard for it and it showed," she said.

Due to almost 10 minutes of stoppage time, Joe played closer to 20 minutes.

"I was happy that it was [long], just so I could watch him play more," John said.

Joe acquitted himself well.

"That's a tough score to come into as a defender. He did really well," Margaret said.

The Scallys, who are renting an Airbnb here, have received texts from friends they had not heard from in years.

" 'That's incredible. Your son made the World Cup team in the United States,' " John said, generalizing the messages.

During downtime, the Scallys have watched other games on TV, gone to the beach, and toured the area.

"It's a beautiful town," Anna said. "It's kind of like the Hamptons . . . with little boutiques and restaurants. It's very nice. Feels like home."

The family also had an opportunity to spend some time with Joe. U.S. Soccer held a barbecue for the players’ friends and families on Saturday.

"We have to make the most [of it] we can because we don't really see him quite often," Anna said about Joe, who is away for 10 months a year in Germany.

On Father's Day, John and Joe watched the U.S. Open from Shinnecock Hills on TV.

"Joe and I love golf," John said. "That was exciting. It was just great spending time with him."

The United States will face a third-place team to be determined in the Round of 32 in Santa Clara, California, on July 1.

Many soccer observers and pundits have predicted the U.S. could reach the quarterfinals. The Scallys are more optimistic.

"I think more," Margaret said. “I think they're going to go far."

Added John: "We're hoping, because we don't want our little vacation to end."