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The World Cup is a time that is, by design, intended to bring people together and to celebrate.
That’s exactly what takes place at George & Dragon: An English Pub, nearly every night, a regular would tell you — with or without the World Cup.
For now, however, the fun is heightened when crowds gather to watch the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, even after the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been eliminated.
“This place opened in 1995, and we’ve shown every World Cup since,” George & Dragon general manager James Blea said. “We’re going to get a huge draw for England, and the final is always packed here.”
A huge draw is exactly what they got on Saturday, July 11.
The 31-year-old pub was packed to the brim. It was hard enough to move around, let alone ask for a drink, but the suds flowed, as did the excitement.
As the game started, the pub, which could easily be mistaken for any pub in England at this point, was buzzing.
Jonah Baker, who was born in England but moved to the United States and Arizona for work, was amped up for England’s quarterfinal matchup against Norway.
“The thing that I love about this place is it really feels like a slice of home,” Baker said. “I haven’t lived in England in 12 years, but I’ve been coming here for the games, and since I moved, and if you woke up here without remembering how you got here, you’d think you were in England.”
His friend, Phoenix native Tyler Rand, expressed how much the crowd has hyped him up for the rest of the World Cup.
“Well, I’m a U.S. first and foremost,” Rand said. “I wasn’t sure who I was going to root for after they got knocked out, but you show up to watch the England games here, and it’s hard not to root for them.”
While most patrons were singing England's unofficial World Cup anthem “Wonderwall” and chanting “Let’s go England,” there was a loud minority of Norway fans there to enjoy the excitement as well.
Many were rooting for the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, but one Norway fan stood out.
Elli Berg was born in Norway, lives in Maryland and was visiting her son in Arizona. She was out front, leading the famous Norway row chants.
She felt right at home at George & Dragon.
“It does remind me of Europe,” Berg said. “I think it comes down to the people, they just love football so much, and you hear the English accents ... it is quite an experience even if I’m on the wrong side this time.”
Once England dispatched Norway in extra time, 2-1, the bar erupted. There wasn’t a soul inside who didn’t get at least a sprinkle of the beer showers that splashed from patrons’ glasses.
Once the win was secured, Baker basked in the glory.
“It’s just a dream right now, mate,” Baker said. “This is so much fun, it’s even better when the pints are full and you have your mates to celebrate with.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Wonderwall,' beer showers in Phoenix as English pub hosts epic World Cup
Continue reading...
That’s exactly what takes place at George & Dragon: An English Pub, nearly every night, a regular would tell you — with or without the World Cup.
For now, however, the fun is heightened when crowds gather to watch the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, even after the U.S., Canada and Mexico have been eliminated.
“This place opened in 1995, and we’ve shown every World Cup since,” George & Dragon general manager James Blea said. “We’re going to get a huge draw for England, and the final is always packed here.”
A huge draw is exactly what they got on Saturday, July 11.
The 31-year-old pub was packed to the brim. It was hard enough to move around, let alone ask for a drink, but the suds flowed, as did the excitement.
As the game started, the pub, which could easily be mistaken for any pub in England at this point, was buzzing.
Jonah Baker, who was born in England but moved to the United States and Arizona for work, was amped up for England’s quarterfinal matchup against Norway.
“The thing that I love about this place is it really feels like a slice of home,” Baker said. “I haven’t lived in England in 12 years, but I’ve been coming here for the games, and since I moved, and if you woke up here without remembering how you got here, you’d think you were in England.”
His friend, Phoenix native Tyler Rand, expressed how much the crowd has hyped him up for the rest of the World Cup.
“Well, I’m a U.S. first and foremost,” Rand said. “I wasn’t sure who I was going to root for after they got knocked out, but you show up to watch the England games here, and it’s hard not to root for them.”
While most patrons were singing England's unofficial World Cup anthem “Wonderwall” and chanting “Let’s go England,” there was a loud minority of Norway fans there to enjoy the excitement as well.
Many were rooting for the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, but one Norway fan stood out.
Elli Berg was born in Norway, lives in Maryland and was visiting her son in Arizona. She was out front, leading the famous Norway row chants.
She felt right at home at George & Dragon.
“It does remind me of Europe,” Berg said. “I think it comes down to the people, they just love football so much, and you hear the English accents ... it is quite an experience even if I’m on the wrong side this time.”
Once England dispatched Norway in extra time, 2-1, the bar erupted. There wasn’t a soul inside who didn’t get at least a sprinkle of the beer showers that splashed from patrons’ glasses.
Once the win was secured, Baker basked in the glory.
“It’s just a dream right now, mate,” Baker said. “This is so much fun, it’s even better when the pints are full and you have your mates to celebrate with.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Wonderwall,' beer showers in Phoenix as English pub hosts epic World Cup
Continue reading...
