‘Worth every penny’: Excitement palpable for England-Croatia World Cup match
What a difference a day makes.
On Tuesday afternoon, Arlington was relatively peaceful. By Wednesday morning, that had changed dramatically.
Four hours before the start of the England-Croatia World Cup match at AT&T Stadium, both teams’ fans crowded into Texas Live and the courtyard outside the Loews Hotel, drinking beer, belting out chants and waving flags while the Portugal-Democratic Republic of Congo game played on a big screen off to one side.
North of the stadium, a line of England fans waited to get inside The Londoner pub on North Collins Street, decked out in national team jerseys.
On Tuesday afternoon, Erick Lazo Vega, a manager at The Londoner, said he expected a busy day Wednesday. The pub opened for business Saturday in a push to capitalize on the World Cup crowds, and Lazo Vega wasn’t disappointed in the turnout thus far, saying he’d already seen fans representing England, Brazil and Senegal, among other nations.
For a while, England fans were the clear majority around Loews, but the Croatian numbers steadily increased until the two sides were about evenly matched. But the English were better represented in terms of supporters’ banners, which hung from the balconies around the courtyard, having traveled from places like Swindon, Wigan and Suffolk.
The mood was jovial, and any banter between the English and Croatian partisans was playful.
English fan Samuel Roseblade, who was attending his first World Cup with his father, Simon, said the Croatian fans hadn’t given him a hard time about the St. George’s Cross flag he and his dad were using as shade from the sun. The Roseblades had driven down from their home in Minnesota, and both agreed the atmosphere in Arlington was what they’d hoped for.
“It was worth every penny,” Simon said.
Croatian-born Domi Stanic, who lives in Arizona, was one of the more conspicuous fans. Half his shaved head was painted white, the other half red, as was his beard, in support of the Croatian side. Stanic said he was surprised at the large number of Croatian fans in Arlington. He predicted a win for the Balkan squad, or possibly a tie, since teams are playing conservatively this round, Stanic said.
World Cup fans hit the Arlington haunts on Tuesday
While it was nothing compared to the scene Wednesday, World Cup fans could be found in pockets around Arlington on Tuesday, if you knew where to look.
Two English fans bellied up to the bar at J. Gilligan’s Bar and Grill that afternoon to watch the France-Senegal match. Pete Miller, from Devon, England, had started his journey in Washington, D.C., where he watched the UFC fights on the White House lawn on Sunday night.
Miller, in his England white Three Lions jersey, said he had only been in Arlington for about day, but he was impressed with Texas.
“It’s very vast,” he said.
Miller didn’t have tickets to the England-Croatia match, but he was optimistic, saying he hoped to score some Wednesday morning. As he sipped a Guinness, it seemed nothing could dampen his enthusiasm.
“I’m expecting good energy tomorrow,” said Miller.
J. Gilligan’s owner Randy Ford shared that excitement. He said the crowd for Netherlands-Japan on Sunday was good, about what the bar typically sees for a Dallas Cowboys game, and Ford was hoping it would be the same for England-Croatia. It helps that J. Gilligan’s offers a shuttle to AT&T Stadium for $25, a fraction of what it costs to park near the stadium.
Even the off-the-beaten-path places attracted an international clientele Tuesday. Charlie’s Tavern, formerly called the Sports Spot, on Cooper Street in Arlington was quieter than J. Gilligan’s, but the only three guys in the place hailed from Bermuda.
They were England fans attending their first World Cup, Craig Dixon said, though he had been to Champions League finals in Europe. When asked how those events compared to the World Cup, he said it was similar, though the action is more concentrated for Champions League finals since it’s one game in one city as opposed to being spread across a continent.
Dixon, his son and a friend are staying in a short-term rental in Arlington, and they found Charlie’s Tavern on Google. They were drinking Bud Light because it seemed like the quintessential “American beer.”
Dixon said he’d paid around $900 for two tickets to the England-Croatia match, but he had no regrets, saying the atmosphere, energy and passion of a World Cup was worth the price of admission.