A good result

I got to watch England play soccer in a pub again today!

Now, it was a slightly different experience than the last time. That was in September, 2008, in the Gloucester Arms, in the Gloucester Road. For the duration of that match, I was standing in a crowd of English supporters (supplemented by myself and some of my sports class students)—and I mean a crowd, dense enough to make it hard to hang on to your beer.

Today, it was a much less hectic scene, and arriving at the establishment 45 minutes before game time got us a front row seat. (Unlike at the Gloucester Arms, when all the seats must have been taken long before then!)


However, the fact that an American food and beverage establishment, here in the heart of gridiron football territory, advertised World Cup broadcasts, offered game-drink-specials, and—eventually—drew a nice crowd, means that real football is a lot more popular here than it was even just a few years ago.

This wasn't just any England game, either, but the first time in 60 years that they'd played us—as in USA-us—in a World Cup match. (Readers of this blog might remember my report on the draw that set up this epic encounter.) An exciting, but also somewhat disorienting, situation for Anglophile soccer fans such as myself.

How to behave at such a match? I've never rooted against either of these teams! Normally, though, I do like to root for underdogs, which made it easier for me to acceptably patriotic and shout USA! USA! USA! with gusto. I want it recorded, however, that I did stand for both national anthems.

As it turned out, the game ended with a great result, from my point of view, at least. It was a draw. Both teams got a point to aid in qualifying for the knock-out stages, and hopefully both of them will get to keep playing far into the tournament. And then, who knows?! We might not have to wait 60 years for another re-match!