Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Broken record, broken nose

Living the World Cup in North Park as US captain makes history

Bluefoot was a popular choice for the World Cup game.
Bluefoot was a popular choice for the World Cup game.
Place

Redwing Bar & Grill

4012 30th Street, San Diego

Place

Bluefoot Bar and Lounge

3404 30th Street, San Diego

I was people-watching on the corner of 30th and University, wondering which would be the best bar to watch the upcoming World Cup game, United States versus Ghana. An older couple walked by, the white man wearing a United States Men's National Team jersey, holding hands with an African-American woman wearing Ghana colors. A minute after, three guys walked by me, dressed like Pacific Beach bros, none wearing a soccer jersey. “Hey man, are you local? We are from the East Coast, just wondering what's the best bar to watch the game?”

Choosing a bar out of 20+ venues to watch the game was not an easy decision. I named a few of the places I had in mind, but got interrupted by a passerby. “Head over to Toronado, just walk up on this street and you'll see a sign that says BEER!”

Sponsored
Sponsored
Redwing was a mellow choice for the World Cup game.

Coin-Op was an attractive choice, but the arcades would distract me from the game. I stumbled into Redwing, which was pretty empty and had plenty of TVs. I sat next to an older gentleman that seemed to know every single person in the bar.

GOAL!!!

30 seconds into the game and Clint Dempsey broke the record for the earliest goal the USMNT has ever scored in a World Cup. It was the fastest goal in the tournament so far, and also the 5th earliest goal in all of World Cup history.

“I don't know much about soccer. I was a middle school teacher for 35 years and just recently started watching.” The older gentleman told me as he saw me excitedly shouting at the TV. “What's up with that guy's hair?” He was referring to Kyle Beckerman, who has a heavy set of dreadlocks.

More people continued to arrive at Redwing, but they had already missed the early action. Everyone shrieked in disgust when Clint Dempsey received an accidental kick to the face in minute 32, breaking his nose. The Seattle Sounders player and US team captain fought through and played the whole game.

At half-time, I decided to switch venues and walked to Bluefoot at 30th and Upas. A line of 12 people greeted me outside the bar. Bluefoot was packed to the brim; a few people wore USMNT jerseys. Not wanting to miss a second of the game, I ran to find somewhere else. The atmosphere at Waypoint attracted me, but they only had one small TV and a projector that was barely visible. After standing around awkwardly for a minute, I left and headed back to my comfortable spot in Redwing.

A seemingly drunk woman was next to me, ordering a drink, when André Ayew scored for Ghana in minute 82. “Did something bad happened?” the woman, oblivious to the game, asked no one in particular as the collective sigh of frustration was heard.

Four minutes later, John Brooks Jr., a defender who came in for DaMarcus Beasley, scored with a header in the 86th minute. Everyone erupted with shouts of joy, followed with collective chants of “USA! USA!” I almost hugged the stranger that sat next to me as the game concluded and the USMNT gained the first of the three necessary points in their group phase.

The next game for the USMNT is on June 22nd at noon and is against Portugal, a much tougher rival.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Spa-Like Facial Treatment From Home - This Red Light Therapy Mask Makes It Possible

Bluefoot was a popular choice for the World Cup game.
Bluefoot was a popular choice for the World Cup game.
Place

Redwing Bar & Grill

4012 30th Street, San Diego

Place

Bluefoot Bar and Lounge

3404 30th Street, San Diego

I was people-watching on the corner of 30th and University, wondering which would be the best bar to watch the upcoming World Cup game, United States versus Ghana. An older couple walked by, the white man wearing a United States Men's National Team jersey, holding hands with an African-American woman wearing Ghana colors. A minute after, three guys walked by me, dressed like Pacific Beach bros, none wearing a soccer jersey. “Hey man, are you local? We are from the East Coast, just wondering what's the best bar to watch the game?”

Choosing a bar out of 20+ venues to watch the game was not an easy decision. I named a few of the places I had in mind, but got interrupted by a passerby. “Head over to Toronado, just walk up on this street and you'll see a sign that says BEER!”

Sponsored
Sponsored
Redwing was a mellow choice for the World Cup game.

Coin-Op was an attractive choice, but the arcades would distract me from the game. I stumbled into Redwing, which was pretty empty and had plenty of TVs. I sat next to an older gentleman that seemed to know every single person in the bar.

GOAL!!!

30 seconds into the game and Clint Dempsey broke the record for the earliest goal the USMNT has ever scored in a World Cup. It was the fastest goal in the tournament so far, and also the 5th earliest goal in all of World Cup history.

“I don't know much about soccer. I was a middle school teacher for 35 years and just recently started watching.” The older gentleman told me as he saw me excitedly shouting at the TV. “What's up with that guy's hair?” He was referring to Kyle Beckerman, who has a heavy set of dreadlocks.

More people continued to arrive at Redwing, but they had already missed the early action. Everyone shrieked in disgust when Clint Dempsey received an accidental kick to the face in minute 32, breaking his nose. The Seattle Sounders player and US team captain fought through and played the whole game.

At half-time, I decided to switch venues and walked to Bluefoot at 30th and Upas. A line of 12 people greeted me outside the bar. Bluefoot was packed to the brim; a few people wore USMNT jerseys. Not wanting to miss a second of the game, I ran to find somewhere else. The atmosphere at Waypoint attracted me, but they only had one small TV and a projector that was barely visible. After standing around awkwardly for a minute, I left and headed back to my comfortable spot in Redwing.

A seemingly drunk woman was next to me, ordering a drink, when André Ayew scored for Ghana in minute 82. “Did something bad happened?” the woman, oblivious to the game, asked no one in particular as the collective sigh of frustration was heard.

Four minutes later, John Brooks Jr., a defender who came in for DaMarcus Beasley, scored with a header in the 86th minute. Everyone erupted with shouts of joy, followed with collective chants of “USA! USA!” I almost hugged the stranger that sat next to me as the game concluded and the USMNT gained the first of the three necessary points in their group phase.

The next game for the USMNT is on June 22nd at noon and is against Portugal, a much tougher rival.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Downtown thrift shop offers three bands in one show

Come nightfall, Humble Heart hosts The Beat
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader