Liverpool Versus Tottenham! Soccer Lives in Baltimore!

            

By Chrystopher Mulligan

NFL PRO ZACH Staff Writer

On July 28, 2012 Camden Yards welcomed two of the most revered franchises in international soccer to M&T Bank Stadium. 

There guests were Tottenham Hotspur Football Club who faced off against the Liverpool Football Club.  Two of the Barclays Premier League’s better clubs kicked off a different type of football in the home of the Baltimore Ravens.

           Any spectator there that is an avid soccer fan, or is not color blind, will surely testify to the fact that Saturday the fans of Liverpool took over the streets of Baltimore.  M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the Purple and Gold was blanketed in red as 42,723 fans enjoyed a friendly match between the two teams on a blistering hot afternoon in July.  The home stadium for the Ravens was not only infiltrated by Liverpool fans in the designated cheering section but all throughout the stadium and the local surrounding pubs near Camden Yards.  One destination that avid Reds fans flocked to was the No Idea Tavern located on S. Hanover St., just blocks away from the stadium lots.  

            The pub opened for business early that morning, quickly closing the street and jamming bodies inside a taped off section that was comprised off three makeshift plywood boards used as an outdoor bar.  The line to get in was wrapping itself around the corner and the bartender there, Rob Gant, told us simply it was “Wild. 7 a.m. wild.”  The early morning wake up call was just the beginning as the fans were prepared for the day’s festivities. 

            There we met a group of travelers from Canada who made the 12 hour drive down to Maryland from the Toronto area.  One couple, Malcolm and Denise Slater, originally from Liverpool, have been to more matches than they can remember.  As the avid Reds fans they are, they found no issue embarking on a cross continent journey to see their favorite team once more. 

           

This international friendly was a spectacular day for not only the Maryland Stadium Authority who helped run the match but for the fans as well.  And although the outcome did not favor either team both fan bases, Liverpool exceptionally, surely had a great time.