DENVER (KDVR) — Bars and businesses around the Denver metro area are getting ready for Tuesday’s USA-Iran matchup in the World Cup.
It’s a must-win for the United States in a game you’ll only see on FOX31.
On the eve of the big-time battle, businesses are preparing for a big-time turnout.
“Any given Tuesday lunch, there’s a bartender, there’s a server, there’s me,” Shelley Majeres said. She is the general manager at Blake Street Tavern in LoDo.
“I have 30 people on board ready to rock. It’s going to be great,” Majeres said of her preparation for Tuesday.
The tavern is expecting 500 to 600 people by noon kickoff. Majeres said the World Cup has been a tonic for the tavern post-pandemic.
“A lot of people don’t work downtown anymore, parking’s a bear, all of that. It’s not just frosting, it really helps keeps us stay afloat,” she told FOX31.
Meanwhile, down the road on South Broadway, the owner of GB Fish and Chips is expecting folks to have a whale of a time for the World Cup matchup.
“The world is definitely showing their fandom for the world cup,” Cyrus Stokeld told FOX31. “It’s the most popular sport in the world and everybody’s excited, it happens once every four years.”
But for USMNT, it’s been eight years since they’ve been in the tournament. So the bar is high for a team with an entire country behind them.
Meanwhile, a Coloradan is a backup on the team. Ethan Horvath is from Highlands Ranch. His dad played in the professional indoor league and coached at Columbine for 20-plus years.
It’s safe to say, he’s got the pedigree.
Again, you can watch the USA-Iran matchup on FOX31 Tuesday afternoon at noon, local time.