We had a couple of days vaguely spare post match day to see New York and catch up with a bunch of friends . After an England game, we are always exhausted and the previous night’s party on top of a packed day had wiped us both out. So for once, a little lie in was in order. We said goodbye to Jordan and Nathan as they were off for a few days break. They really had been the most wonderful and generous hosts. We could not thank them enough.
We had arranged to meet up with Colin, Paul and Cathy and their family, Mike and his boys, plus Kelvin and Liza in The Bowery Beer Garden in Chinatown. It was Pride weekend and the city was going to be stacked. We settled down to watch the only game of the day, the first round of 32 knock outs, Canada vs South Africa. To be honest it was not much of a game, South Africa were playing not to lose and Canada really were the better side, just. A last minute winner sealed it for the Canadians and the first host nation was through to the last 16.
We talked a lot about West Ham, the relegation to the Championship, the success of the #NoMoreBS campaign to remove Brady and Sullivan from our club, some old days stuff and the prospects for the new season ahead. We also talked about following England away and all that entailed, the ups and the downs and what it all really meant. Everyone had had a good time out here, and beating Panama made it all that little bit better.
The time came to say goodbye, the Christmasses were back to the UK tomorrow, Mike and his boys later that night and Kelvin and Liza were decamping to the UK for their annual six week vacation. We would see Colin in Atlanta.
We had a lazy walk around Midtown and then back via the Subway to the apartment. It was hot and humid and clearly evening time is dog walking time. It seems like everyone in New York has a dog.
I needed to do a BBC5Live interview about ‘why were we so optimistic about England given how bad we were’ which was a bit of a waste of time.
Once that was done, we picked up some Japanese food and found late night Midsummer Murders on TV to go to sleep to. Imagine our surprise when we saw one of our friends in one of the episodes. He played a person who got garroted!
Next day was another meet up, this time with Tony Rizzaro who lives upstate and came in by train to Grand Central Station.
We met up in Stout, a great sports bar nearby. They had the requisite enormous amount of screens and first up was Brazil vs Japan in the second of the round of 32 matches. Given the quality of these two teams it was galling that one would be eliminated, but that’s the luck of the draw for you. Japan scored a blinder to lead 1-0 at half time. But I always felt Brazil would win the game. The Brazilian fan on the next table, Baptista, was not so sure, but I kept reassuring him that the win would come. It did and poor Japan were sent packing. Baptista was relieved and we gave each other a hug. Tony had to get his train back so we bid farewell and recreated a picture we had taken in New York nine years previously and hoped it would not be so long before we met again.
We decided to stay put for the Germany vs Paraguay game. I was convinced that Germany would win this. Just like Brazil, the Germans went behind to a cracking goal but managed to get an equaliser to take the game into extra time. Once that time ran out and the dreaded penalties were coming up, I was still convinced that the Germans would win. My friend Ralf was texting me to express his sheer frustration with the German team and a manager, he feared the worst. ‘I don’t know what is happening in Nagelsmann‘s Brain… our midfield is completely wrong staffed’ and ‘Kimmich in the wrong position …. Goretzka wrong player, Pavlovic wrong’.
Germans just don’t miss penalties. Until this time. Balbuena latterly of West Ham managed to miss his penalty for Paraguay just to add to the drama. It was to be the first of two penalty shoot outs of the day, both littered with very poor penalties indeed.
Kirsty and I decided to take a stroll down to the Fan Park in Brooklyn and check it all out. There were multiple games of football taking place on plastic pitches and some of it was a pretty good standard.
The Fan Park close at 10pm, no matter what times the World Cup games are on, which is pretty ridiculous really. We grabbed an ice cream, which was both delicious and massive and headed back to catch The Netherlands vs Morocco game. One thing you really notice in the US is the amount of advertising for legal services, usually very personal and direct and all about getting you compensation or damages for something or another. It’s everywhere and it’s part of the litigious culture of the USA.
That promised to be a great one, two very technical and attacking teams would surely go at each other. And they did. Cody Gakpo scored a great goal brilliantly assisted by Jimmy Somerville currently a West Ham player. The equaliser for Morocco was scored by Issa Diop another ex West Ham player.
That took us into extra time and then the inevitable penalties. The Netherlands have as bad if not worse record at penalties than England do and true to form they lost out, and poor Somerville missed his penalty too.
My thoughts then went to our game against DR Congo on Wednesday. You just know it will be a complete drama and my feeling is a 2-2 draw and then penalties, which I believe we may win. Another West Ham player will likely be against us in Atlanta, Aaron Wan-Bissaka so who knows if that’s a good or a bad omen. All we know is that it will be a tight and tense game.
I checked the FIFA website for tickets to the England vs DR Congo match and there were plenty and the prices were falling as we all predicted. FIFA had a managed to get optimum prices for the loyal supporters and then sell off unsold tickets for less. So much for loyalty!
Anyway some much needed sleep and Atlanta here we come!
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