Must be Junkyard Dog, a vegan sportsbar which is a helluva concept!
1 Like
As if legends like Pirlo, Scholes, Zidane, Xavi, Desailly, Sergio Ramos, Schweinsteiger, Maldini, etcâŠwere freaks of nature?
In fact, the national team of 
from 2008 to 2012 were unplayable and possibly one of the best national team to have ever grace the field. Yet, they didnât have a single player that anyone can honestly call super athletic.
On the flip side, Pulisic is probably the best American player Iâve ever seen. But is he anywhere close to DeMarcus Beasley in terms of athleticism? Not even closeâŠ
5 Likes
Well! Look who knows a lot about soccer err football!
I hear you.
Letâs say you could go back in time when Pulisic and Russell Westbrook were five years old. You know what we now know about them. You can pick one of them for USMNT. Whom do you choose?
I pick Westbrook. And I will go further and say I think Westbrook would end up overwhelmingly better than Pulisic.
Could you imagine NBA athletes on corner kicks? I think with a month of practice, the average NBA player right now, with no soccer experience, would be better than elite soccer players. Nobody could come close to defending them.
Bring on the ridicule!
If that were the case, US shouldâve dominated already given that Landon Donovan, DeMarcus Beasley, and DeAndre Yedlin were probably three of the fastest players in the world.
As others have said , US have always had premier athletes on their team but they lack techniques and creativity comparatively. Soccer just isnât a sport that relies heavily on athleticismâŠ
And Iâm still waiting for you to address the lack of comparative athleticism of the players I brought up and Spain of 2008-2012.
4 Likes
Anybody have good ideas for the US England game? I canât really think of any place other than maybe the Olde Ship in Fullerton.
1 Like
Assuming youâre rooting for los EE UU, Barra 76âs watch party is at Boomtown Brewery in Little Tokyo and the American Outlaws watch party is at Underdogs Sports Bar in Glendale
BRAZIL FIELD REPORT: CafĂ© Brasil said theyâd open 1 hour early for the game, and knowing from past disasters there I arrived even before that. I put my order in at the counter (they donât have table service; more on that later), then snagged the best seat in the house. This way I also got my meal fairly pronto, before the delays that set in later when crowded. I knew I wanted a combo plate, i.e. with several sides such as rice, beans, etc., so I ordered the Rancheira (i.e. skirt steak) Plate, $19. The steak, about the size of my hand, was tender, probably litely marinated, and topped with sauteed onions, Italian parsley, and a dab of sauteed pimiento. The rice may have looked like plain white, but it had been cooked in some just-right salting and flavorful oils that made it yummly. First bite of the black beans shouted, âGARLIC!â The stewed-style beans were seasoned with lots of that (plus salt), though I didnât see any bits of garlic in there so I reckon the chef either mashed/pureed it, or used granulated. Lentil soup is a favorite of mine anywhere, and this was a good one, relatively simple with brown lentils, regular and green onions, tomato and garlic bits, in a broth of well-balanced flavor. But I thought it was a bit of OD on beans per se, considering the plateâs side of black beans. The other soup choice was black bean soup itself; way too redundant, so lentil was the lesser. I give thanks today this day of Thanksgiving for the species of plantain used, a highly-flavored one and practically âjuicyâ â others can be dry/bland. It had been fried in something buttery. Capping the plate was an onion/tomato/flat-leaf parsley salsa with a hint of horseradish. The table condiment of an almost certainly-housemade red chile grainy hotsauce, was good though I did not use it. For beverage I had a drink called a Tropical, made of fresh pulpy passionfruit & mango juices. A big issue with CafĂ© Brasil is its system of ordering at the counter. Customers had to wait in a long line that stretched out the front door just to place their order, let alone wait for it to come out. In the meantime the game was rolling and these poor folks had come there to watch it. Once inside, where and how were they to eat? By holding their tray in packed SRO? They learned the hard way, as did I in the past, to get to this place early. If CafĂ© Brasil is not going to have a server, then they should at least embrace onsite QR menu scan tech or whatever so that orders and bellies can be filled more efficiently and without waiting in slow lines. Fortunately for the patrons their team won, the crowd would go ecstatic with the goals, and most assuredly went home not only eventually stuffed but happy.
Report card: Food/drink B, venue C, value B.
The Rancheira combo plate:
Adorable superfan in the house:
Good taste in decor inside Cafe Brasil womens washroom:
4 Likes
If you want England, five such venues are listed in the 1st post of this thread.
If you want USA, what part(s) of town works for you? LMK, and Iâll suggest an all-American sportsbar.
All teams have now played one game, of which some teams have lost. Every game is crucial in the World Cup. For those of yâall wanting to dine at different teamsâ venues during their games, the following countries/teams should be prioritized, because they have lost a game and their clocks are ticking:
Argentina
Australia
Cameroon
Canada
Costa Rica
Germany
Ghana
Iran
Qatar
Senegal
Serbia
js76wisco â Hmm, well OC is huge, so without knowing a specific area of it Iâd say just google for a Buffalo Wild Wings in the vicinity youâd like to go.
1 Like
Hopefully itâs not viewed as hostile to point out that Mama Dâs (the Cameroonian spot) is definitely closed. Thereâs a burger place already in the space. At the time of the closure, it was reported she hoped to re-open at another site, but no update since.
1 Like
JThur01: Of course not hostileâŠmore like helpful! After reading your post Iâve gone-in and edited the listing of venues at the top of this thread, updating Cameroon. Thanks to you. 
Fyi, googling pulled up that Mama D is now doing catering of Cameroonian specialties, I guess out of her home. Not sure, I didnât see an address listed.
2 Likes
If we were talking about shooting Iâd know what you mean, but in the context of football I have no clue.
The context here lies in whether a top player needs to be freakishly athletic. The answer is clearly no as Iâve listed some of the best players and possibly the greatest national team in the history of the game to demonstrate that point. In fact, most of the listed players arenât very athletic at all in football standards.
Does it help to be freakishly athletic? Clearly. Is it a requirement? Not even close.
1 Like
USA FIELD REPORT: Wore a red white & blue tie-dye tee shirt to The Derby Room in Pomona as a way to show my support for our fabulous Team USA. It was a tense game throughout, with eventual 0-0 result; we got several shots off though none made it. My through-and-through English friend 40 mi. east of London whom I had a text convo with throughout the match, said at the end that England âwas too slowâ and they âexpected to winâ; and Englandâs âegos cost [England] the win, I think. And solid defending from the USA.â So there you go. The Derby Room Pomona is a spacious and fabulous facility, clean, friendly and great design. It has many, many monitors reaching around the room, plus some bigscreens and a large film-size screen. The focus and prime purpose here is horserace betting, done legally as the venue is operated on the County fairgrounds. Itâs got a very large outdoor patio section with TVs coupled with an intriguing small-scale racetrack (which has 4 monitors of its own). An outdoor plaza labeled âSmoking Sectionâ is totally distanced from the patio, and the indoor facility also contains a huge dedicated betting room plus a nightclub/entertainment room. Tons of free parking outside. The sportsbar room where I sat has a full bar, which bar is beautiful, with dĂ©cor harkening to Churchill Downs, and bartop is made of marble. Menu is extensive and varied, reflecting the diverse humanity who partake in horse betting. It ranges from burgers (beef, turkey) to sandwiches (club, cheesesteak, Italian torpedo, ribeye dip) to entrees (fish & chips, chicken fried steak) to pasta (blackened chx alfredo) to pizza (u-pick toppings) to Asian (fried rice, lo mein, pho, bang bang shrimp) to milkshakes (kids are allowed there). It also has breakfasts, so thatâs where I landed with the Chile Relleno Omelet ($15), so-called because it contained shards of flame-grilled green pasilla chile and was topped with a little melted cheddar and jack. (It comes with ranchera sauce, but I told them to hold it on mine.) It was made with an excessive amount of egg which I cut away and did not eat all of, plus it was cooked rather dry. I wouldnât get this omelet again. The side of hash browns was righteously tasty, albeit fried in the âsmashed pattyâ method. I prefer the discrete shreds type, but itâs no big deal (and I know that kind done well is hard to find). You get choice of toast. The plate was accented with a dry, insipid slice of orange. I would never place something that far gone on a customerâs plate. To drink, I was hankering for hot cocoa and it was good I asked for one because it does not appear on the menu. I was served a fine mugfull, heaped with whipped cream. Service at The Derby Room was helpful, prompt and cheery.
Report card: Food/drink C+, venue A-, value B.
Omelet with pasilla chile inside and cheddar+jack on top, w/ toast, hash browns:
View from my barstool of monitor and gorgeous bar:
Semi-panoramic view of venueâs indoor monitors configuration & seating:
9 Likes
I agree with @moonboy403 . It wouldnât hurt to be super athletic but most of the greatest players of previous generations and current generation are not necessarily super athletic. Messi, Pele, Maradona were gifted with amazing feet, low center of gravity, creativity and balance. I would not say they are super athletic. Theyâre all also very short. Whoever you consider the best player is the world (Neymar, Haaland, Son, Mbappe, Mane) is certainly athletic but itâs not like they exude raw freakish athleticism like Giannis or Westbrook. There are only only so many corners and set plays where jumping in the air/headers come into play.
If soccer was the most popular sport in America and every kid who played shortstop, CF, point guard and defensive back played soccer from age 5 instead the USA would likely be one of the best squads in the world. There is also no guarantee that Ja, Saquon, Betts, Trout, etc would be good with the ball at their feet instead of what they currently do.
I always remember the argument that hockey should employ big tall fat goalies so that they would take up more of the net thereby making it harder to score. Look up the height and weight of the best NHL goalies of all time. Hasek, Roy, Marty, Henrik.
2 Likes