Shades of red, white and blue swathed the streets of Arlington. Not the United States’ signature colors but rather the shades of the England national team’s kits.
England defeated Croatia 4-2 Wednesday afternoon in Arlington’s second World Cup match. Just a half-mile north, a crowd of hopeful England fans crowded into a pub, even overflowing into the nearby sidewalk.
The Londoner Pub, a Dallas staple for soccer fans, opened its doors in Arlington as the World Cup began. As the packed house belted out a song to the tune of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” chief operations officer Charlotte Tate said the soccer crowds had “the best vibe and atmosphere.”
“I think we underestimated our reach a little bit, but it’s been great,” Tate said.
The pub has four locations across North Texas, with one other in Tarrant County near east Colleyville. Tate said the pubs usually see a decent amount of traffic during the World Cup, but something about this year’s iteration has been different.
“They drank us out of beer at our Dallas location last night by about 7:30 p.m.,” Tate said. “They drank us out of a lot of the beer (at the Arlington location), and plan to again today.”
Some fans made their way to the pub in the morning before heading to the stadium. Ben Taylor and his wife flew in Tuesday morning from Nashville, Tennessee, to watch the Three Lions. Taylor moved to Nashville from Yorkshire, England.
Dallas resident James Heron, center, hugs and sings with Rockwall resident Sammy Ward, left, before the England vs. Croatia World Cup game June 17 at The Londoner Pub in Arlington. Heron said it is legendary to be able to watch his home country play in his hometown of 22 years. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report) The two stood in line on Tuesday morning, excited to watch the team take the field for the first time in the tournament.
“I hear it’s a tradition when you come to an England game in Dallas,” Taylor said, donning a cowboy hat with the England flag on it.
Jamie Ostwald made it to the pub in time to secure a spot among the outdoor seating options. The London native, who moved to Houston eight years ago, said he had the match on his calendar as soon as it was announced.
“It’s probably the biggest game of the group,” Ostwald said. “Croatia will be our top opponents, I think it’ll probably be deciding who’s going to top the group.”
Fans fill The Londoner Pub before the England vs. Croatia World Cup game June 17 in Arlington. (Christine Vo | Fort Worth Report) The game also came with extra emotions for each team.
In the 2018 World Cup semifinal, Croatia stunned England with a 2-1 extra-time win, which saw the team reach its first World Cup final. Taylor called the loss “a painful memory.”
“I’m hoping we can get some revenge today,” Taylor said ahead of his team’s win. “They’re a great team. It’ll be a great game — I think an England win is on the cards.”
Other England fans had the same optimism.
Jason Heywood moved to Detroit from England almost 30 years ago. Yet, he has followed the team around for the last seven World Cups, he said. The Londoner Pub was a choice made by the collective fanbase.
“We were looking for a good place to go. The Londoner was supposed to be the place where everyone’s meeting up,” Heywood said.
Heywood had an optimistic view of the game, saying he wasn’t too worried about the results ahead of kickoff.
“I met some Croatian fans, and they said they thought we were going to win 3-1, and I agree with them,” Heywood said. “It’s looking good.”
While Tate and her family were enjoying the business brought in by the game, being there meant something different.
The Tate family moved from London to Dallas in the ’90s, where Charlotte’s father opened the first Londoner location. The Tates celebrated pregame with other fans in the Arlington pub before heading to the stadium to watch their first World Cup match in person.
Tate said her father promised her brother that they would watch a match in person roughly 30 years ago. The family got to experience that promise.
“It’s a lot of work to put this on. … It feels like a good reward for us for the work we’ve already put in and the next few weeks, which are only going to really get busy now.”
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
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