WHIRLWIND SATURDAY....
It's the start of a new week and I, for one, have never been so glad to get through a weekend. With so much taking place throughout the course of the weekend, I found my head spinning on more than one occasion.
The highlight of the weekend, by far, was the USA/GHANA World Cup clash. Team USA supporters showed up at the bar in droves, expecting to see their team move on against a largely unknown squad from Africa.
As we approached game time, the place began filling up. This time around, we made it a point to stick to our capacity rule, if for nothing else, to keep the place relatively comfortable. We got our AC repaired a week or so ago but I didn't want to take any chances dealing with a sweltering bar.
Then came the pregame activities. As both teams marched out onto the field, the patrons at the bar really got into the moment...
Then came the playing of the National Anthem:
After being inspired by that, the crowd was really feeling optimistic about their chances. Then came kickoff. The enthusiasm took a big hit early on when GHANA shocked the crowd (and Team USA) by scoring early in the match. Talk about taking the wind out of one's sails...
That rest of the first half was tense and by halftime, the crowd was generally worried about Team USA's chances. However, things began looking up in the second half as the boys from America came out with guns a-blazin' and they finally caught a break when team captain, LANDON DONOVAN was awarded a penalty kick....
The place went nuts and all of a sudden, there's confidence in the air again. The rest of the second half was nip and tuck all the way and by the end of the second half, you could cut the tension with a knife. With overtime approaching, it was anybody's match to win.
Once overtime started however, the shit hit the fan as GHANA scored early, effectively deflating Team USA's balloon as the Black Stars of GHANA did just enough to keep USA at bay and eliminating them in the process, much to the shock and dismay of our hard-partying patrons...
And that's that. It was a thrilling run for Team USA. They did better than most folks thought and more importantly, they helped to capture the attention of a nation who normally didn't give a hoot about soccer. They did themselves and our country proud and they have nothing to be ashamed of.
Here's the kicker: Instead of everyone doing the "mass exodus" after the match, we ended up getting busier! I guess folks needed a place to drown their sorrows after USA's untimely exit. USA fans partied well into the night, turning the place into a shit show of sorts. Hey, there was a full moon out that night...
Now that USA has been eliminated, there's still some great soccer left to be played in the World Cup. The Knockout Stage is pretty intense and we've already seen some controversial calls made in matches this weekend. Who will move on towards the finals? Stay tuned...
MUG NIGHT MAYHEM kicks off the week with $1 Bud/Bud Light/Molson Canadian drafts and $2 mugs, all other domestic drafts, 4pm-close!
That's It. That's All I Got.
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