Before Andrew and I started dating, one of the first things we talked about (besides Milton and Paradise Lost...we were English [nerds] students, after all!) was Chelsea F.C. I knew next to nothing besides the fact that 1) Andrew would wear his Chelsea kit to class once in a while, and 2) Andriy Shevchenko, the greatest Ukrainian footballer of all time, was then currently playing for Chelsea. We struck up a conversation about Sheva, soccer, and Chelsea; little did I know that my transformation into a Blues fan was just beginning. Now, we're definitely a house of blues, and you'll find both of us yelling at the TV for bad referee decisions and offside calls.
Some of our first dates took place at 6:45 in the morning, when we'd head off to The Local to watch Chelsea games. The Local is one of two bars in downtown Minneapolis that regularly televises international soccer; the other is Brit's Pub, just down Nicollet Mall a few blocks. While it wasn't always easy to get ready for a bright and early soccer match (and look decent besides - it was a date!), these weekend games are some of my favorite memories. We've saluted Drogba as he won the Golden Boot and said goodbye to him this last year, watched as King Carlo led the Blues to win the Premier League, and, just last May, waited nervously as Bayern Munich scored on each of their first three penalty kicks, then celebrated in overwhelming cheers with fellow Blues fans as Chelsea won the Champions League.
The atmosphere of both The Local and Brit's is great for games, especially for the big matches in English football and major tournaments like the World Cup and Euros. There are usually specials, too, for food and drinks. The Local has breakfast sandwiches for the early games, and both places have traditional pub fare on their menus, from fish and chips to shepherd's pie. While some games can get rowdy and aren't always family friendly (the World Cup match between the U.S. and England in 2010 had all of Brit's completely packed with fans on all of its three levels, but hey, you're at a pub, what do you expect?), I have seen little ones proudly wearing their team's kit at some of the quieter games in the morning, getting an early start on becoming fans of the world's most beautiful game.
Chelsea has had an incredible start to their Premier League season, with only one draw and seven wins. Tomorrow, they play in Ukraine, at Shakhtar Donetsk. While I usually cheer on the Ukis when it comes to the national teams, tomorrow, I'm easily all blue. We'll definitely be watching. Go Blues!
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