Part 1- The Football Nerds’ World Cup Adventures in the USA and Mexico- Part 1

It was a very early start for us on Sunday morning as we found ourselves waiting outside the hotel at the airport for the 6am shuttle bus to the terminals. With nothing very much open at that time, and with us frustratingly not being allowed into the lounge until two and a half hours before our flight was due to take off, we ended up settling for a coffee. The lady who served us made it very clear that the law forbade her from serving alcohol before 11:30am. Having not even asked for any, we wondered how she had spotted that we were British football fans (or indeed alcoholics)?  

As we were waiting for the gate to open, I started to notice that I was one of the only people wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The rest seemed to have opted for jeans and long-sleeved tops, with some even wearing cowboy boots and hats, bodywarmers and/or jackets. Suddenly panicked that I had read the weather all wrong, and as a result packed all the wrong sort of clothes, I hastily checked my phone for further clarity.  I was relieved to find that the weather app showed that it was expected to be just as warm in Monterrey, if not warmer, than in Atlanta. It was only when we got on the plane and the air-conditioning kicked into action that I realized why our fellow passengers had dressed the way they had – it was freezing! I made a mental note to wear jeans and have my jacket to hand for the return flight, no matter how hot it was outside. 

The flight to Monterrey takes about 3 hours or so, and I was able to distract myself from the artificially arctic conditions by watching the build-up and then the start of the Spain v Saudi Arabia match (back at the Atlanta Stadium) on the screen in front of me. How good is that? Being able to watch live footie on a plane? Sadly, the coverage cut out as soon as we left American air space, although Spain were 3-0 up at that point and the match was over as a contest before they had even played half an hour. 

Our transfer to the hotel took about 30 minutes, but frustratingly we arrived too early to check into our room. The lady on reception handily informed us that we could use the bar and/ or sit around the pool while we waited. She even gave us a couple of discount vouchers for the bar which all guests were entitled to. What she didn’t however tell us was that the bar is closed on Sundays! Not to be deterred we headed for the restaurant where a couple of ice-cold beers each helped to ease the wait.

Once we had checked in and unpacked it was time to find somewhere to catch up on the day’s football and have a bite to eat. Ever the resourceful tourist, I fired up Google Maps on my phone and searched for sports bars. As expected, it came up with a seemingly suitable option about 20 minutes’ walk away. 

As we wound our way through the network of streets it was very noticeable how many cosmetic dentists we spotted. Apparently, this is aimed at the US market as a much cheaper option for those wanting brilliant white teeth but unwilling/ unable to afford them back home. Well, you learn something new every day!

When we arrived at our “destination”, there wasn’t much sign of a sports bar, or indeed anything at all. We had passed a few local bars on the way, but they looked like the sort of place that even those of us who live in the East End of London should probably best avoid! Finally, we spotted a restaurant that looked like a safe enough option as it was full of families out celebrating Father’s Day. While the TV was only showing Mission Impossible II, the staff hardly spoke any English, and they only had cans of Tecate light beer, the food – mixed tacos- (when it finally arrived!) was superb. 

As we made our way back to the hotel, a guy who spoke excellent English stopped us. He must have recognised the trepidation on our faces that based on our experience so far, it felt like it was going to be a very long five days. Through a brief introduction he told us he had previously lived in LA, and we told him that we had only just arrived and hadn’t been able to find anywhere for the essential daily World Cup activity of drinking beer and watching the football. It came as great relief when he pointed the other way down the main road than we had headed earlier, and suggested that Barrio Antiguo was only 20 minutes’ walk, and that it was much more like what we had been expecting. 

The following morning, we followed our new friend’s advice and headed down to the old town. The one thing that is immediately noticeable about Monterrey is the state of the pavements. While there are more and more modern-looking buildings the closer you get to the city centre, you must constantly be mindful of what is under your feet with: random slabs of concrete sticking up, exposed pipes, and an incredible number of holes dotted all around. The traffic is non-stop and seems to hurtle along at double, if not triple, the speed of that in the States, but they are at least respectful of the traffic lights. 

Our saviour from the previous evening was completely correct, after about 20 minutes we entered a pedestrianised shopping street, which other than the stalls selling knock-off Mexican football shirts, wrestling masks, and sombreros, could have been anywhere in the modernised world. 

Our first stop was Buchakas, right on one of the main squares, and with a number of TV’s it was exactly what we had been hoping. With it being just past 11 in the morning (1pm in Atlanta, I hasten to add!), we reckoned it was definitely time for a spot of brunch: tacitos, washed down with a few bottles of cerveza (we had by now realised that draught beer really wasn’t a thing in Mexico!), while we watched Argentina beat Austria 2-0. During the match, we got talking to a couple of South African lads who were over for the match on Wednesday, but we didn’t see that many other travelling fans throughout the course of our time in Monterrey. Maybe it was the geographic spread of the city? 

Kay enjoying “brunch” while watching Argentina v Austria

After the match we had a bit of a wander around the old town, which was incredibly picturesque, if very hot in the afternoon sunshine. 

Barrio Antiguo Monterrey 

In need of refreshment and with Kay’s favourite team France due to kick off against Iraq, it felt like an opportune time to find somewhere to watch that. While the bar we chose didn’t have air conditioning (something we discovered was the norm in Mexico), it did have a huge fan pointed directly at us which served to cool us down a bit while we watched the match. At half-time, with France 1-0 to the good, the match was suspended due to inclement weather in the Philadelphia area. I have to say that this was a new one on me, and it made me fearful of the impact that the weather might have later in the competition. 

After a quick trip to the food market and a mooch around the various shopping centres, as they were all indoors and out of the sun, we headed towards another of the sports bar that Google Maps had found for us. When we arrived, it looked much more like a restaurant than a bar, but we settled in for a drink and the obligatory free tortilla chips and salsa. In my broken/ largely non-existent Spanish, I endeavoured to ask the barman whether he was going to be showing the football, I think his answer suggested that no he wasn’t. 

A little while later while I was on my way back from the loo, my attention was drawn to a room through an alcove from where I was convinced I could hear Spanish football commentary emanating. It turned out that there was an adjoined bar which showed football and the France game was just about to restart. Like many things in Mexico, it wasn’t completely clear whether the two places were under the same ownership or not, nor did it actually matter. After watching the conclusion of the France game and then the second half of Norway just squeezing past Senegal, we headed back to the hotel via McDonald’s. Well, football fans in Mexico cannot live on tacos alone!

The following day as England were due to kick off their match against Ghana at 2pm local time, we decided to have a leisurely morning of it before heading down to Buchakas for another tacito and cerveza brunch. We arrived at the bar in time to catch the second half of Portugal strolling to a 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan, before watching England labour to a completely underwhelming, yet totally predictable, goalless draw with Ghana. 

That evening we went back to Calipso (the restaurant/ bar combined!) for a fantastic steak for me, prawn cocktail for Kay, and some excellent complimentary Mexican beans. We finished up in the pub next door watching the end of Colombia-DR Congo while being regaled by a singer/ guitar player mixing hard rock classics with apparently popular Mexican tunes. If we didn’t know we were in Mexico before, we certainly did now! 

Wednesday was matchday but with kick-off not until 8pm, we decided to have a relaxed morning in our local barrio, starting with sampling the breakfast buffet at the hotel. There was quite a choice of interesting Mexican food (tacos, tamales, some quite spicy stews etc.) and some items clearly aimed at US visitors, including pancakes and doughnuts- “the foundation of a nutritious breakfast!” to paraphrase Jules from Pulp Fiction. 

As a huge fan, as well as an accomplished cook, of Mexican food, Kay had set her heart on buying a genuine tortilla press while we were in Monterrey, so we had a good old poke around the streets and market that we had encountered on our first afternoon. She found exactly what she wanted relatively easily at a reasonable price, although we had a slight concern that given the weight of it, it might end up with us paying excess baggage on the way home!*

The stadium in Monterrey (the Estadio BBVA to give it its proper name) is quite a way out of town nestled at the foot of the Cerro de la Silla (Saddle Hill) mountain. Thankfully it is easily reached on the city’s metro system: the “Metrorrey” (get it?), and in even better news for us our nearest station was just a block away, although it of course involved a relatively long wait to cross the main road. 

Once you arrive at Exposición, the last stop on the line, you need to show your ticket to the intimidating-looking, but friendly, police to be allowed onto a long stretch of road which is lined with makeshift bars and stages with local musicians playing. 

The bar that we chose seemed to make it overly complicated to get a beer as you had to queue up to buy tokens, and then again to be served your actual beer. Thankfully it didn’t take too long and even with the growing crowd it was easy enough to find somewhere to sit with a view of the screen for Brazil v Scotland. Even if you couldn’t see the screen, there was a group of Brazilians at the front who made it abundantly clear when their team was through on goal. Is it just me, or are Brazilians the most noisily happy people on Earth? 

Pre-match preparation Monterrey style

It takes about 10 minutes to walk up to the stadium itself, nestled at the foot of the impressive mountain, it almost looks as if a spaceship has descended from the sky and settled there. 

The approach to Monterrey stadium surrounded by Mexico fans

Once inside, the concourses and food and beverage facilities weren’t as spacious or as plentiful as in Atlanta, but it felt more like a proper football ground and the view from our seats in the lower tier was spectacular. 

The view from our seats

While the crowd was pretty large, the majority were locals sporting Mexico shirts and other associated merchandise, many of whom seemed more interested in taking as many selfies as possible rather than the build-up to the match. They were also hanging on for their own team’s result against Czechia kicking off at the same time. Thankfully as we were sitting next to two genuine South Africa fans who had flown over especially for this match, it meant this time we could openly support Bafana Bafana as we had intended to in Atlanta. 

The game was evenly matched right from the start, although neither side really threatened during the opening period. If anything, South Korea dominated possession while South Africa looked to counter quickly. Maybe the tension got to both sets of players as they knew that only a win either way would guarantee progression to the round of 32.  

At half-time while I was queueing up at the Gents, Kay enjoyed a light show set to “Livin’ on a Prayer”, while I only caught the very end of it, it certainly seemed impressive.

The first action of the second half didn’t happen on the pitch in front of us but was sparked by the ding-dong sound of a PA announcement. The cheering grew all around the stadium as people checked their phones and realised that this must be the signal that Mexico had scored. Indeed, they had and we were shown a clip of the goal on the big screen. Six minutes later it happened again and the celebrations could really start all around the stadium. 

Moments later we finally got our turn: Thapelo Maseko worked space for himself in the South Korea penalty area and fired low into the bottom right corner with his left foot. Strangely I found myself on my feet punching the air along with the South African lads next to me, it wasn’t solely because Son Heung-min, once of Tottenham, was captain of South Korea, honest!   

South Africa held firm for the remaining half an hour or so and secured progression to the knockout phase for the first time in their history. On the metro on the way back we were joined by groups of celebrating Mexicans who had been watching their game in the fanzone. This is truly what the World Cup is all about. 

We spent our last two days based largely in the Barrio Antiguo, shopping, watching football, eating tacos and sipping cerveza. If we had been apprehensive when we first arrived, over the course of our stay (well from the first full day!) we had fallen completely in love with the place. 

A Final 24 Hours in Atlanta 

We flew back to Atlanta on Saturday morning, the 2-hour time difference meaning that we landed just as England were taking on Panama. After checking into the same hotel, we headed downtown to soak up the atmosphere for one last time. However, with the DR Congo against Uzbekistan match due to kick off at the stadium in a couple of hours, and the fan park showing Colombia – Portugal, it was absolutely chaos in and around the Olympic park. Reckoning that the bar at the Omni may be a bit unknown we opted to watch the matches there. 

We were lucky that we got there just before too many people had had the same bright idea. It was already fairly full, but we found pretty much the last available table and settled in. As the first halves wore on more and more people arrived and it was looking very tricky to get another beer, so we decided to head back to the Kitchen. 

The end of the match at the stadium, with Congo triumphing 3-1 and progressing to the knockout phase where they would play England, was the cue for chaos on the streets outside, with celebrating Congolese everywhere, the bar very much included. At last, we finally felt like we were genuinely at the World Cup.

The following day we had one final stroll around town, although there really wasn’t very much open at that time on a Sunday morning, before finishing up at the Omni again to watch Canada beat our team South Africa 1-0 in the first game of the Round of 32. 

During the match we got talking to a rather large chap at the end of the bar, who didn’t seem to know very much about soccer at all. It turned out his name was Bruce Collie, a former offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, who had won two Superbowls and was in town as he had just been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (which is based in Atlanta- next door in fact). Maybe Bruce will remember the two hopeless football obsessives who explained what was going on to him and grow to enjoy (real!) football like many of his fellow countryfolk seemed to as the tournament progressed. 

Despite the difficulties in getting tickets, and not being able to go with our mates, it was another brilliant and fun experience. Inevitably the powers that be at FIFA and co will make it even harder next time, and we should probably boycott on principle; however, I have a funny feeling I might know where we will be found in the summer of 2030!

* Footnote: back in England, the first time that Kay went to use her new tortilla press the handle snapped completely off. On closer inspection it turned out that my wife hadn’t suddenly become super strong, the press was in fact made of clay and spray-painted silver. Somehow, that summed up Mexico completely!