World Cup, Bar Two-Brazil vs. Croatia…

It was the first game for both teams, but my second time in this bar for a game. The bar is part of a nicer restaurant in Clayton where my father and I had lunch the previous day and witnessed USA embarrass themselves against the Czech Republic. I returned the next day after speaking to the bartender who explained that though they closed from 2-4, he saw no reason why I wouldn’t be able to sit and watch the game with the rest of the staff.

I returned the next day at 1:30 for desert. At1:45, cooks and dish washers came out the kitchen. They passed that last guests for the afternoon and changed the TV to Univision despite the fact none of them spoke Spanish.

Spanish might have been one of the few languages many of them did not speak. The majority were immigrants from Italy or Easter European nations. With thick accents, they explained to me that Brazil was good, but they didn’t want to see them win. Germany was the best team, and we should all hope that Croatia played a good match and beat Brazil.

The game started with cheers from the whole bar. Conversations moved across the bar from one end to the other with the language changing depending on who was talking to whom.

My understanding of soccer is limited to, red/yellow card, corner kicks and of course gooooaaallll!. These were true fans. They saw plays develop long before me. I began to sense something might happen not from the play on the field but to tense hush that would fall over the bar.

When Brazil did get a goal late in the first half, it crushed many. Men who moments earlier had been taunting the TV and boasting how well Croatia was playing sunk into their chairs, lit cigarettes and stayed alone in their thoughts.

The owner came in during the start of the second half. Eating ice cream from a coffee cup, he gently mocked his employees for thinking Brazil would loose. “They are a good team.” He explained. “But then this is soccer, anything can happen.” He added.

I left as the game wore on. Some employees went home to rest before dinner, most stayed. I rode the elevator up to my parents’ house still understanding little of the game.