Drew Lenihan
Fans cheer on the Iberian Peninsula
Today is the first day without world-class soccer in a while. It’s time to let the teams and fans rest for a couple of days before we getdown to the nitty-gritty of the quarter-finals. ---
I went to Cowgirl to cheer on the rivalry, and boywas it a honky tonkin’ ruckus of a good time. The bar was full of fans and passionate Spanish toddlersran around the room starting traditional Spanish fight songs while the beer flowed and the meats simmered.
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Many narratives have formed this World Cup including theemergence of Ghana as the new representative of Africa, the tale of the two‘guays making it to the semifinals, and of course yesterday’s dramatic Iberianshowdown between Spain and Portugal.
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I should haveanticipated that Cowgirl would know how to show the World Cup right, as it is one of the only restaurants that showed the 2006 World Cup. There seems to be more competition inthis town this time around, but Cowgirl may still be the leading baron ofWorld Cup watching.
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Not only are there nice big TVs a full 360 degrees aroundthe bar room, but Cowgirl makes the authentic decision to watch the games onUnivision instead of nerdy ESPN. So eventhough you might not understand what is going on, joining in on the Mexicancommentators' “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLL!!” is sure to cause you and the rest of thebar’s patrons to erupt into celebration.
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The game was physical and the players were passionate asthey battled their neighbors. In the end, Spain was the team that came outon top when sensational David Villa chipped one over the goalie in the 63rdminute. The tio now has four goals in thetournament. It was enough for theSpanish side to hold on for the remainder of the match.
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As the match ended, Cowgirl seemed to glow in the gloryof the Spaniards, who are peaking at the precise moment and have a great chanceto win it all. I will definitelybe back at Cowgirl for more games because the atmosphere will only get rowdierand more fun as the stakes become higher.
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Cowgirl Hall of Fame Overall Score: 9/10 Golden Boots
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This will be an ongoing blog series with a new entryor two every week about a different restaurant or bar to watch the action. If you have any suggestions for SantaFe world cup venues by all means e-mail us at culture@sfreporter.com and put"world cup" as the subject.
