World Cup mania in the Americas has been a joy to watch and on Saturday afternoon I went to the outdoor Biergarten in Hayes Valley to cheer on the Norwegians in their quarterfinal match against England.
The screen showing the game was actually just a large TV set up in a shipping crate and the true fans were sitting on the ground right in front of it.
I despaired of finding a seat until spotting Kyle and other acquaintances from the Hayes Valley Saturday Morning Trash Pick-Up, and they invited me to join them.
Next to us at the picnic table were two San Franciscans who had played in adult soccer leagues and knew what the heck they were talking about.
Like most of the crowd, they were rooting for Norway too.
When the match went to overtime, we decided, "oh, hell, let's have another beer," and my new soccer mate bought us a round. Though Norway eventually lost to England, the afternoon could not have been more fun.
