For the first time since I moved to the USA I watched the FA cup Final, this year between Liverpool and West Ham United. For those that don't know West Ham is a district in the East end of London, very close to my birthplace. Too close as it happens - I support Leyton Orient, because they are my home town team and Arsenal, because I lived only half a mile from the ground and had many happy hours in the local pub, listening to the crowd and watching on TV. Tickets were impossible to get - harder even than the Red Sox.
So West Ham are rivals and since I was in the Phoenix Rising - an Irish pub on Mass Ave just up from the Central T stop - that was decked out with Liverpool flags and patrons outnumbering West Ham supporters 5:1 - I supported Liverpool.
The place was packed when I got there, no seats and no chance to get to the bar until half time. That worked out fine since kickoff was 10 am EST, so it was respectfully past 11am by the time I took my first sip of beer.
The pub was filled with chanting - oohs and aahs at each miss and hearing the cockney voices of West Ham supporters made it feel as if I was back in the London of my youth.
Why had I waited so long to find a pub showing football. Well $20 each for this pay per view event is one of them, denial is the other. But this game was worth it with Liverpool coming back from a 2 goal deficit only to fall behind and come back again to draw with a spectacular strike on 90 minutes (full time). Extra time was a drag, with West Ham coming closest and the game finished level to be settled by best of five penalty shots. Liverpool's keep saved three penalties to give them the win. All in all a really great game, the last to be played at Cardiff Arms Park in Wales and the first to be witnessed in Boston
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