LEICESTER, England -- “This is the World Series of Soccer, isn’t it?”
That was the first thing I heard when the news broke Saturday that I was, in fact, an American on English soil.
The folks at the Old Inn in Leicester were understandably subdued for the Three Lions’ World Cup opener against the US. They knew, like most England fans heading into this World Cup, that Fabio Capello’s team had their work cut out for them against a formidable US side.
As it turns out, I had my work cut for me too. Disguising myself as one of the friendlies proved to be tougher than imagined, even though I was born in England and lived there until I was 10 years old.
But my cover was blown when my Yankee accent shone through, simply trying to explain the faults in the USA’s defense to a friend.
“What’s an American doing here?” a man nearby cried out.
To which I replied: “Oh, no worries, mate, I’m English. Honestly.”
It was a night of sideways glances from then on Saturday night, even though I managed to quell a few concerns with solid footy knowledge and some cool English charm.
It would have helped even more if I’d been as downtrodden as those surrounding me. Regardless of the opponent, English fans never expect the best. And they never, ever score early, right mate?
Wrong.
No one at the Old Inn expected England to score in five minutes. And no one inside of The Old Inn saw it either, as the reception on the HD monitors cut out right before it happened. After a 30 second delay, the match popped back on: 1-0, England.
I was one of the first to notice the score and the place erupted into a state of euphoria which I’ve never experienced before in my life.
The match moved on and England continued to play their normal boring brand of football deep into the first half. The goal seemed to drop them into their “defend the castle” shell. Pork scratchings for all.
A quick toilet break later, and the match was tied. Picking up the shrieks from across the building, I knew something was up. Something typically English. Something like David Seamen against Brazil, or Paul Robinson against Croatia. And now, there’s Robert Green against the US.
Beating the United States wasn’t the priority. Winning was the priority, and the whole pub realized early on that this English team on this particular night wasn’t ready for three points.
And so, the forever-negative English supporters settled for a single point. Their Three Lions now move on to face Algeria in the second match of the ‘World Series.’
