Is soccer and the World Cup popular enough in the US to crowd pubs?”
MILWAUKEE – The pub is packed with beer-swilling supporters cheering on their home country during a recent “friendly” exhibition match. They’re belting out songs and chants, many of them R-rated, as one fan keeps time by pounding on the giant drum he brought to the bar. Leading the cheers is 28-year-old Nick Iwaniuk, dressed head to toe in his national soccer team’s gear. And just in case anybody doubts his dedication, he’s getting the team’s crest tattooed on his chest before the World Cup starts. This isn’t Manchester, Milan, Madrid or Mexico City. It’s Milwaukee. “We have English guys coming in here going, ‘This is amazing!'” said Joe Katz, owner of the Highbury Pub. “They’re taking pictures — ‘This is in Wisconsin?’ It’s totally caught on.” Largely shut out by mainstream sports bars — which don’t open early enough to show European matches or aren’t willing to boot more mainstream sports off the big-screen TV — U.S.-based soccer fans are flocking to a small but growing group of bars
The pub is packed with beer-swilling supporters cheering on their home country during a recent “friendly” exhibition match. They’re belting out songs and chants, many of them R-rated, as one fan keeps time by pounding on the giant drum he brought to the bar. Leading the cheers is 28-year-old Nick Iwaniuk, dressed head to toe in his national soccer team’s gear. And just in case anybody doubts his dedication, he’s getting the team’s crest tattooed on his chest before the World Cup starts. This isn’t Manchester, Milan, Madrid or Mexico City. It’s Milwaukee. “We have English guys coming in here going, ‘This is amazing!'” said Joe Katz, owner of the Highbury Pub. “They’re taking pictures — ‘This is in Wisconsin?’ It’s totally caught on.” Largely shut out by mainstream sports bars — which don’t open early enough to show European matches or aren’t willing to boot more mainstream sports off the big-screen TV — U.S.-based soccer fans are flocking to a small but growing group of bars such as Hig
