If you are looking to join other fans in watching the US Men’s National Team take on the Netherlands in World Cup action Saturday, you are not alone.
But you and scores of other enthusiasts may end up looking for a place to watch.
As of Wednesday, several Cape Cod pub owners were struggling to see if they could schedule the extra staff needed to open early (the US plays at 10 am) for the game and serve the crowd usually drawn by the World Cup action.
DJ’s Family Sports Pub, 165 Yarmouth Road, Hyannis, 508-775-9464
At DJ’s Family Sports Pub on Yarmouth Road in Hyannis, co-owner Eithne Carlin said her family-run, family-oriented sports bar will show all the games.
“We’ll be here at 10 Saturday and the doors will be open for anyone who wants to watch the game, but we’ll start serving as usual at 11:30 am”
Carlin says her restaurant has been following sports for 17 years with its 400,000 TVs.
“The years part is true,” she said, “but the 400,000 TVs is just my Irish humor.”
In Hyannis each booth has its own, individually controlled TV, and the family’s Falmouth location, on Main Street, also has about 20 TVs, although not at the tables.
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“We have the ability to cover all the sports all the time. We use Direct TV so we can get up to six games. A lot of fans who have moved to the Cape still root for their home teams,” Carlin said, noting that Falmouth has a strong Green Bay Packer fan base while Hyannis has a rooting contingent for the Buffalo Bills.
World Cup soccer is good for business at DJ’s Family Pub, Carlin said, with Brazil and England having an especially faithful following.
The Alley Bowling + BBQ, 191 Route 6A, Orleans, 774-801-2116
At The Alley in Orleans, there are plans to have all nine televisions broadcasting by 10 am Saturday.
“The bartender told me he would open the bar at 10,” said server Korene Sparling. “The restaurant opens at 11:30.”
Bite On The Go, 5 Old Meeting House Road, East Falmouth, 508-684-8257
Another option for the early US-Netherlands game on Saturday is Bite On The Go, which opens at 7 am for breakfast sandwiches and then switches to a full buffet of traditional Brazilian foods ($9.99 per pound) at 11:30 am
“We usually just have the TVs on for the Brazil games (2 pm Friday when Brazil meets Cameroon) but we’ll be glad to put it on for the USA game if anyone wants us to,” said manager George Noonan.
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One other advantage to watching USA soccer in a Brazilian restaurant is that hardcore Brazilian soccer fans can answer most any question you may have about the game.
Local Break Restaurant, 4550 State Hwy, Eastham, 508-255-6100
“We open at 4 pm normally. We only opened early the first time because we got a bunch of phone calls,” said Chris Albanese, bartender at Local Break Restaurant in Eastham, which had about 50 people show up for the first US World Cup match on Tuesday. “I don’t believe we will open early (Saturday) unless we get overwhelmed with phone calls.”
Albanese told most of the crowd at 2 pm on Nov. 29 game, when the US beat Iran to move onto the second round, was drinking beer.
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“We did have a USA shot,” said Albanese, who hunted around for colored liqueurs that would fit. “The bottom was grenadine, then rumchata and blue curacao on top so it looked like the flag. We did one at half-time to calm the nerves.”
Portside Tavern, 72 North St., Hyannis, 508-534-9600
At Portside Tavern on North Street in Hyannis, where a 10-by-12-foot larger-than-life TV screen hangs over the bar, co-owner Jason Murphy was leaning toward opening early (normal start time is 11:30 am) but was worried about scheduling enough staff.
“During the last game, it was crazy in here,” said Murphy, who noted that the tavern has 26 other TVs in addition to the oversized screen at the bar. Murphy said he wants to be able to be well enough staffed to serve not only drinks but the personal-sized, thin-crust pizza with its distinctive black lace edge.
If you decide to watch at home after all, you’ll find the game being broadcast on FOX and Telemundo.
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