Game Day – England v USA

After months of anxiety and anticipation, the day has finally come – England v USA for the first time in the World Cup since 1950. Soccer fans already know (as does anyone with ESPN on at any point in the past three months) that our previous match ended 1-0 USA; could we do it again? I thought so, but the English are a strong side…

We decided on a morning diversion away from the games to Borough Market, which lies just south of London Bridge and contains a diverse (and dizzying) array of shops, merchant stalls, and street sellers offering everything from housewares and durable goods to freshly-cut Spanish hams and boutique honeys. Markets generally are a great way to see first-hand the broad range of foods and other delectables being produced locally to a destination, and the Borough Market is no different. Given its size and position as both a tourist spot and local farmer’s market, the depth of offerings here is greater than you’d find at home – it reminds us a lot of Barcelona’s Mercat de la Boqueria, or the morning market in Ubud – and its that breadth and depth that makes Borough and interesting place to visit each and every time.

After a few flavorful samples at Neal’s Yard Dairy, we settled on hunk of Berkswell and a pungent, creamy blue. The Berkswell was approaching the crumbly stages of cheddardom, ripe with that sharpness and tang that only unpasteurised semi-firm cheeses can bring – a few pieces of our decidedly-overlarge was all that was needed, so we wrapped up the rest to carry home. The blue paired nicely with the freshly-baked (and still warm!), slightly-sweet baguette we picked up for next to nothing (bread is an  incredibly low-margin product) and we chanced upon a nice spot beside the Thames to enjoy our finds. After our saunter through the market, a relaxed snack of bread, cheese, and ham, and a wrap-up of cocoa and cranberry brownies we were ready for the game.

 

We decided on an American-friendly pub in Chelsea – Henry J Bean’s – to watch the game. Many pubs we’d passed were explicitly English-fans only, so it was nice finding a place accommodating to our cheering preferences. Henry’s is a small chain here in London, but the atmosphere come game-time was anything but reminiscent of a Ruby Tuesday’s…

By now you know the score – England v USA ended in a 1-1 draw. For our part, we congratulated the England fans after Gerrard’s quick strike, applauded our good fortune on Dempsey’s goal, and held our breath as Altidore’s would-be game-winner caromed off the goalpost. Ties may be boring to some, but this match had it all – and we were exhausted at the final whistle. Just as well, since tomorrow we head to Amsterdam!