The World Cup, SFR Plays Along: Second Street Brewery
By Intern Drew Lenihan
Today England plays Algeria, so it is fitting for all hooligans to find a neighborhood pub as if we were in Bristol or London supporting the Red Lions, the nickname of the English national team. Of the bars in Santa Fe, Second St. Brewery resembles the closest thing we have to an European style pub, complete with mutton-chopped bartenders, its own selection of brews and a colorful cast of regulars.
Around the bar were the murmurs and discussions of the US-Slovenia game, in which our Yanks came back from a 0-2 deficit to tie the game and then took the lead on a beautiful set play, only to have the goal disallowed by the referee. The tie could mean that the US will be ousted from advancing to the round of 16, big disappointment for a team that many thought had a chance to go far in the tournament.
However, all bets are not off.
“You saw the heart our boys have when they came back in that game,” one bearded gent said in between sips of a decadent frothy stout. “I hope England ties or loses so we can have a chance to move on.”
I was in total agreement, although the US is often considered the lame duck of the World Cup and do not have the fanbase or allure of other teams, today’s game showed that we have something to prove.
As we sat around the pub throwing back pints of cold microbrews and chicken wings, Algeria played steady and came away with a 0-0 tie. While the fog-eatin’ English sulked away in shame looking more like spayed kitties than their lion nickname, a gleam of hope shown from the old bargoers’ eyes; the dream of America’s World Cup lives on. With a belly full of high-end pub grub and a wide variety of beers—get the sampler— I was content with both the fare and the warm companionship of fellow bargoers.
My content was replaced with anxiety and excitement looking at the bracket later that day. Group C is completely open now and all four teams have the potential to advance. This cup is getting exciting, get over to Second Street soon to watch the action, eat good food, drink quality beer and cheer on America’s side, we really need the support!
Second St. Brewery Overall Score: 7/10 Golden Boots
This will be an ongoing blog series with a new entry or two every week about a different restaurant or bar to watch the action. If you have any suggestions for Santa Fe world cup venues by all means e-mail us at culture@sfreporter.com and put “world cup” as the subject.
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