After stepping off the tram, we followed the sounds of cheering until we found the Riegrovy Sady Beer Garden. We were just in time to watch the Spain vs. Portugal game in the world cup. We pushed our way through the crowd looking for a spot at a table. It seemed like everyone who had a table must have camped out there to get their spot. We settled for a spot near the screen on the ground, fortunately no one too tall was sitting in front of us. The excitement was building as the game was tied 1-1. People seemed to be from all over the world, each rooting for their favorite team.
People in Europe seem to be obsessed with soccer the way Texan’s are obsessed with football. Whenever the school year begins, we pull our cowboy boots out from the back of our closet and put longhorn stickers on our cheeks in preparation for the first football game. No matter how our team is doing in the season, people come from all over Texas to support the University of Texas’ team. Just like with European’s favorite soccer team, we can leave Texas and still root for our team.
The game ended with a tie. Currently the world cup is in the group stage where they all play each other for points to advance to the octa-finals where 16 teams play each other. Despite the tie, people left the garden in high spirits as it was an exciting game.