Since the World Cup kicked off in November, the buzziest watch parties in New York City have been happening behind a nondescript door on Chrystie Street.
Kyle Martino’s Football Cafe, a soccer speakeasy created by the former MLS player and broadcaster, has hosted over 3,000 fans including celebrities like comedian Andrew Schulz, “Billions” actor Fisher Stevens, Steve Nash and his former mother-in-law Susan Sarandon, who is an investor.
“I wanted to create a UN of a clubhouse with the No. 1 sport on the planet in the most diverse place on the planet,” Martino, 41, told The Post.
On the first floor there’s a DJ, a merchandise stand selling goods from independent designers and a massive screen playing the games, while upstairs houses a long bar, a handful of televisions and space with Persian rugs and a hodge-podge of couches and chairs that feels like your quirky, well-to-do friend’s living room.
Initially the guest list was built by word of mouth. Those who stumbled upon the Football Cafe Instagram page, which now has 8,200 followers, could text a 917 number to get past the doorman. Then as word spread and fans knocked on the unmarked door, things got a little easier.
“We started letting them in if we had space,” said Martino.
The entrepreneur plans to eventually turn the venue into a private club revolving around soccer, art and culture.
“I’ve always wanted a SoHo House for soccer — I’ve been waiting for someone else to do it, and no one was,” Martino, a Soho House member, said. “I’m an impatient person, so I went for it. Soccer is a beautiful lubricant that I’m amazed social clubs haven’t used yet.”
In 2019, he started a club on the lower floors of his Greenpoint townhouse, which quickly ballooned to 180 members. It was too big, so he shut it down and went on the hunt for a space. Seven months ago, a “For Rent” sign went up at 141 Chrystie St., across from Lion’s Gate Field at Sara D. Roosevelt Park, where Martino’s Street FC soccer league plays. It was a serendipitous location, but the landlord kept brushing him off.
Martino showed up every day for 30 days to convince him to let him into the building.
“It was a vacant building. No one had been in for years, and he was storing avocados there. The place was graffitied, and there was a hole in the roof.”
Four months ago, he signed the lease and brought Victoria’s Secret CEO Martin Waters, Sarandon and former ESPN honcho John Skipper on as initial investors.
He raced to whip it into shape before the World Cup, using his own furnishings and memorabilia, including a signed Pelé New York Cosmos jersey. He even brought his enormous living room couch to anchor the second floor.
He then commissioned local artist Adam Dressner to re-create historical paintings with the heads of soccer superstars, including a showstopping depiction of Diego Maradona on King Henry VIII’s body.
He’s also had design help from prolific streetwear designer Diego Moscosoni, who has designed kits for Venezia FC.
On Sunday, the final between France and Argentina will be a full house including Martino; his ex-wife, actress and lifestyle blogger Eva Amurri; their three children; Amurri’s new boyfriend and her mother. Space will be limited, but they are selling $45 tickets, which includes one free drink. They sell beer, wine and bites like breakfast burritos, burgers and avocado toast from the crew behind Jackdaw in the East Village.
After the final whistle, Kyle Martino’s Football Cafe will likely shut down as they hash out the more permanent iteration. And while plans are still evolving, Martino said the building will have a small restaurant open to the public. He will probably start the social club with 50 founding members and roll out from there.
“I am trying to fill this space with people who caught the buzz of what’s happening next,” said Martino. He wants to keep the momentum from the World Cup alive and build towards 2026, when the event will be held here in North America.
“[The United States] is far behind in many ways, but who cares? We have every right to love this game like anyone else,” Martino said. “The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest sporting event in our lifetimes. It will prove the game is part of the social fabric of this nation.”
His eventual goal is to open locations in various US cities before the next games.
“I am out to put a flag in the ground.”
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