LAist World Cup 2010 Guide
It is World Cup time!!! (FIFA.com)
The world's most popular sporting spectacle is about to take center stage. Bigger than the Super Bowl, bigger than the Olympics, it unites countries and people like nothing else can. Starting on the aforementioned date and time, and for the month that follows, soccer fans from around the world will be fixated on South Africa, diligently following every detail and happening surrounding FIFA World Cup 2010 -- soccer's most prestigious prize.
Thousands of miles away, Angelenos will also be part of the masses supporting their team(s) with all their might. Today, we share with you the LAist World Cup 2010 Guide. Here you will find a variety of information that will help make you maximize your World Cup experience in our great city.
A wide range of places around town have committed to showing some or all the games. And it truly is a commitment as the time difference means some matches will air at 4:30 AM local time.
Here we go.
Plaza Mexico
First on our list is Plaza Mexico in Lynwood.
If you are a fan of the Mexican National Team, this is where you'll want to be on Friday when El Tri takes the field against South Africa for the tournament's inaugural match. Why? Despite a 7:00 AM kickoff time, Plaza Mexico is bringing out the big guns to celebrate the World Cup and support El Tri.
Sponsored by T-Mobile and dubbed T-Mobile World Cup Viewing Event, the FREE event will feature a jumbo 25ft high screen and then some. KLVE DJ Omar Velasco will be broadcasting live from the event that also includes FREE food, music and prizes. Festivities run from 6:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Note that this is an outdoor event and a large crowd is expected. Capacity is estimated at 5,000 - 8,000 attendees.
Additional events of a similar nature may be scheduled later as the tournament progresses, but regardless, on premise restaurants like La Huasteca are expected to be airing other matches throughout the tournament.
The Guelaguetza
The Guelaguetza restaurant on Olympic is another spot fans of El Tri will be gathering.
Festivities kick off at 5:00 AM on Friday and include prizes, and food and drink specials. The Guelaguetza will be opening their doors early throughout the tournament to broadcast all matches starting at 7:00 AM and later.
The big draw for this place: a humongous 150 inch screen!
Montalban Theatre
The game many Angelenos are eagerly awaiting is the rematch between the U.S. and England. On June 12th, the 60 year wait will finally be over. Can the U.S. repeat history from the 1950 World Cup in Brazil when the U.S. shocked the world by upsetting England by a score of 1 - 0? We shall see soon enough.
Outside of being at the stadium, there are few other options that would make this more exciting than catching it on a giant 40ft screen and that's exactly what the folks at the Montalban Theatre have in store. The theatre will be opening its doors for these FREE viewing events throughout the entire tournament, so take a look at the full schedule and make plans to catch at least one match at the Montalban. Bear in mind that although capacity is in the hundreds, you MUST RSVP to get in.
Also, if you haven't gotten your Nats jersey yet, you can pick one up at the on site store. Here is a sampling of some of the goodies they have for sale.
The Village Idiot
For those looking for a more laid back environment to catch the Nats, you need not look any further than The Villiage Idiot in Hollywood. What makes this place so special? For starters, Lindsay and the guys over at The Village Idiot are soccer fans at heart.
They regularly broadcast English Premier League and other Euro matches, including UEFA Champions League. Furthermore, forget having to pay a cover. There is NO CHARGE to enjoy a match at this place, either World Cup or Euro matches, so remember that for later in the year once the Euro leagues get going again.
Two 65 inch LCD screens were just installed to complement the other sets found throughout the place. General capacity hovers around 150 which makes it quite easy to enjoy those big screens. But the coolest thing about this place is that you can reserve a private viewing room for yourself and anywhere between 10 to 30 of your friends -- for FREE!
Although normal business hours start at 11:30, the guys at the Village Idiot will be opening earlier to air all 7:00 AM match days, but don't show up any earlier than 6:30 AM. Keep in touch with them to check in on any plans they may cook up for the big finale on July 11th.
La Nueva Casa Honduras
Seven World Cup tournaments and 28 years have separated Honduras from its second World Cup appearance. All that will end on June 16th when Los Catrachos go up against Chile to start their campaign.
Although the Honduran community in L.A. is not quite as large as that of other Latin American communities, you'll be hard pressed to believe that when you witness their support come game time, as evidenced by their showing at the January friendly against the Nats.
If you want to live the experience first hand, head over to La Nueva Casa Honduras in South Los Angeles. This restaurant doubles as a dance club by night which means there is plenty of room for 250 people or thereabouts. In addition to the TVs on the walls, this place also has a giant screen for their regularly used projection system. All viewings will be FREE of charge.
Should you include this place in your plans, make sure to give them a call in advance, as viewing events will vary throughout the month. You can reach them at the following numbers: 323.752.2176, 323.608.2160 or 323.482.3287
Gaucho's Village
Brazil and soccer are virtually synonymous with each other, as are good times and watching a Brazil match. One cannot honestly say they have experienced the World Cup without first having watched a Brazil match with a group of verde amarela fans.
In L.A., one of the best places to get this experience is Gaucho's Village in Glendale. The atmosphere is second to none and makes the experience rather special.
This place is so popular with Brazil fans, you literally have to show up hours ahead of game time to ensure you will be able to get a seat. Despite the inconvenience that may present, it is well worth it. Because it is guaranteed to be crowded, you should also get all your bathroom trips out of the way before the crowd starts to build or you might end up losing your seat. You may have to pay to get in, but they usually throw in an awesome Brazilian buffet that is more than your money's worth.
A large screen covering nearly half of one of the restaurant's walls is where all the action can be seen. If you are looking for a memorable experience, this is the place. Capacity is somewhere around 350.
Note that these folks will only be hosting events for Brazil matches, beginning on June 15th and including the 6:30 AM match on June 25th.
Toscanova
After Brazil, the next most successful nation at the World Cup is Italy. They are the current champions and are looking to accomplish a feat that has not been accomplished since 1962 in Chile by Garrincha and his Brazilian mates: repeat as champions.
Should they accomplish the feat, it would surely make the Italian owners of Toscanova quite happy. Located at the Century City mall, these folks have prepared a variety of events.
Various TVs are strategically placed throughout the restaurant and allow folks a comfortable view. They are planning on bringing in two more slightly larger displays just in time for the World Cup and should complement the ambiance rather well.
Toscanova will only be airing matches taking place at or after 11:00 AM, but they will also be replaying the day's earlier matches throughout the day, all beginning on Friday. Should you manage to not have someone on Twitter spoil it for you by telling you the score of a match you didn't yet watch, this would be a nice place to go catch a replay. Capacity hovers around 250.
If you want to make it an outing, make sure to swing by on Friday or Saturday for their buffet ($20 Adults, $10 Children), from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 11:00 AM - 5:30 PM, respectively. Other activities will include a raffle for a Pele autographed jersey, a Patron (the tequila people) afternoon and on June 12th they will have a kids day.
Crewest
Those of you familiar with Crewest are probably wondering why there is a gallery on the list. Well, there is a great reason.
Crewest is one of the few options in the Downtown area hosting viewing parties. In addition, they are hosting a World Cup themed art exhibit, so you can get a bit of culture with your sports experience.
They will be opening their doors bright and early, hosting FREE viewing parties for matches at 7:00 AM and later from June 11th through June 25th. Feel free to bring the kids with you so you can enjoy the game and goodies from local eateries. Keep an eye on their website as they will host further events for select matches from the latter rounds of the tournament.
That does it for our list, but here are some more great resources offering even more options:
- DiscoverLosAngeles.com World Cup Guide featuring a variety of area restaurants.
- World Cup events sponsored by the L.A. Galaxy including ESPN Zone at L.A. Live, Hermosa Beach Pier and many other options.
- World Cup events sponsored by Chivas USA, details and locations are pending, but are likely to include player appearances and other festivities.
- A great map showing several other locations is available here
A few final items worth mentioning:
- TimeWarner Cable customers will have access to all matches via their OnDemand service 24 hours after they are played.
- VerizonWireless is once again the exclusive provider of LIVE match coverage for your mobile device.
- Spanish speakers may enjoy using the nifty calendar the folks from Marca magazine in Spain created.
- ESPN will be debuting their 3D network, ESPN 3D, during the World Cup and are planning on broadcasting several matches. More details available here
So, who says we don't like soccer in the States?