Friday, November 25 • 11 am
The George and Dragon in Fremont is going all out for the World Cup. With the games being in Qatar—ugh, time zones—the George is opening at 4:30 am from November 21 to the 28. If you’re trying to experience some real soccer culture while rooting for the US Men’s National Team (USMNT), abandon your Black Friday plans and grab a spot at The George before the sun even rises. Smack talk with some Brits. Recycle stale Revolutionary War jokes. Eat fish n’ chips for breakfast. Nothing says it’s World Cup time like pretending you’re in Europe.
This World Cup, the USMNT is on its Reputation Tour. They sucked so badly last World Cup they—embarrassingly— didn’t even qualify. The tournament begins in the group stage where the US will play against Wales, England, and Iran. To advance to the knock-out round, the USMNT needs to finish top two in the group. They’ll have an easier first match-up in the next round if they finish first.
According to FIFA rankings, the US ranks just above Wales and Iran. Logically, these should be winnable games, but if there’s one thing I know it’s the USMNT’s capacity to crap the bed and not deliver. Negativity aside, the game against England should be tough and exciting! If the USMNT squeaks out a draw, that’ll be great news and bode well for a USMNT appearance in the next stage, the Round of 16. The game could have even higher stakes depending on how the US vs. Wales game goes on November 20.
The US vs. England game could even be good enough for you to forget all the issues bogging down this World Cup like how same-sex relationships are illegal in host country Qatar and how the tournament’s stadiums were allegedly built by migrant workers operating under horrible working conditions. The USMNT called attention to this issue by making their logo rainbow (but only in US-controlled events like pre-tournament team parties) and attempting to “be the change.”
