German fans prepare for the World Cup at Zum Schneiders. Miles Dixon, Metro
All across the city, people are gearing up for the most watched sporting event in the world. The 2014 World Cup takes place in Brazil, starting today and runs through July 13. The event only happens every four years and pits countries against each other for bragging rights on who has the best soccer team.
At the Blind Pig, on E. 14th street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, the event offers ex-pat England fans a chance to root for their home country. The bar is known as a rallying spot for English fans and all of their games will be streamed there. Flags of the different countries playing in the series are hanging from the bar. Celebrities such as Piers Morgan have stopped in to watch games in the past. It is also one of 10 bars serving Six Point “Stadium Lager” which is exclusively produced during the World Cup.
Patrick Murphy, an England fan, said that he’s already requested time off from work next week to watch England play in the World Cup.
“If they get through the Group Stages, I might be using up all my sick days as well,” he said.
A different crowd gathers at Zum Schneiders on Avenue C and 7th Street in the East Village. The bar is known for the massive crowds of German fans that it draws to watch the World Cup games.
On June 26 th, the bar has rented a space to accommodate 700 to 1,000 fans to screen the U.S. versus Germany match.
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“We’re extremely excited for our U.S vs. Germany event. The idea is to attract not only our regulars to show up, but also bring in some U.S fans to really capture the emotion of the game,” said Sylvia Lochmann, bar manager.
Toni Ghosh, a Germany fan, said that he’s excited that the games are in the same time zones as New York City. “It’s exciting to know that we’ll be able to see every game, in real time. For people like me, in my 50’s, this might be the last time in my life I’ll ever have this happen,” he said.
