The Sunnyvale Sun

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Soccer fans crowd into sports bars in Sunnyvale

By JASON GOLDMAN-HALL

Every four years, athletes from around the world congregate in a predetermined location and, for weeks, battle it out for national pride, bragging rights and international fame.

Olympics? Try again.

For a month, between early June and July, the world was glued to any open TV set, newspaper or radio as the 2006 FIFA World Cup raged in Germany. The finals won't be held until July 9, but the spectacle has rivaled any soap opera, drama or science fiction hit for the number of water-cooler discussions it has sparked.

"You watch more than just a game; you can talk about it with friends," said Ernst & Young employee Ashley Nester. "It gives us something to do for our lunch hour, and something to talk about when we get back to work."

Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub owner Sean O'Keefe said Sunnyvale has a lot of soccer fans during the day because there are so many residents and high-tech employees who came here from parts of the world where soccer is huge.

And even though the United States bowed out unceremoniously early after scoring just one goal--and having another scored for them by their opponent--there were still crowds in Sunnyvale at S. Murphy Avenue pubs whenever a game was on.

On June 27, almost every dining seat and barstool was filled at O'Keefe's pub for a match between Spain and France.

O'Keefe said he has hired a third cook specifically for the World Cup crowds. As the tournament has gone on, he says it's gotten more crowded each day.

"As the stakes get higher, you'll see more of the fans come out. The jerseys will start coming out," O'Keefe said.

But not everyone was happy with the crowds.

"It's good to see the World Cup gaining popularity, but they're taking up the seats from my bar," World Cup watcher Ben Solis said while drinking a Guinness.

Swedish-born Niklas Ramstedt--also from Ernst & Young--said, even when his Swedish team lost to Germany, he was still interested in the games.

"My grandmother's German, so I'm 12.5 percent German, so I'm still in the tournament," he said.

And while he said he was watching the rest of the games because he enjoys the game, he definitely had an opinion on the outcome of the France-Spain match.

"We don't like France; it's that simple," he said. "Spain just plays better soccer."

Spain ended up winning 3-1.

Seated across the room with his coworkers from Seagate Technologies, Arnaud Guerrand was decked out in the red, white and blue jersey of his French team. He said he has been in the pub for at least eight games during the tournament, and has had O'Keefe open early for games.