Venues across Northwest Arkansas are hosting watch parties throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Black Friday’s game between the U.S. Men’s National Team and England is sure to bring out soccer fans and interested spectators alike.
There will be four games per day through the end of the group stage on Dec. 2, with kickoff times at 4 a.m., 7 a.m., 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thankfully, the USA games are all slated for 1 p.m. on their respective match days.
For Fayetteville fans, Farrell’s Lounge Bar & Grill will be showing every 1 p.m. game and most 10 a.m. games. Smoke & Barrel will be streaming all but the earliest games, and neighborhood dive bar Kingfish will be locked in for games where the USMNT features.
Soccer fans in Springdale can head to The Odd Soul for the 1 p.m. fixtures and any game with the U.S. or Mexico. Next Level Soccer Center will have its indoor fields open in addition to streaming matches.
In Rogers, Rendezvous Junction Brewing Co. and Tribe Soccer are hosting various watch parties covering the 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. games, with the latter also opening up the indoor fields for play. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s will hold down the 1 p.m. games for Bentonville locals.
Viewers at home (or those wanting to catch the early kickoffs) can find every game on Fox, FS1 and Telemundo.
The United States drew their opening game 1-1 against Wales on Nov. 21. Meanwhile, England opened up the tournament with a resounding 6-2 win over Iran and will be looking to build on that success. Leading up to the World Cup, England and the U.S. were favorites to get out of Group B and into the next round of the competition.
A win for England will solidify their place at the top of the group. The Americans need a win (and ideally, a Wales loss to Iran) to keep their knockout stage dreams alive. England are expected to make a deep run in the competition, and with recent upsets casting doubt on other tournament favorites – Saudi Arabia shocked Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-1 on Nov. 22, while Japan pulled a similar move against international powerhouse Germany on Nov. 23 – the English could be finding their stride at just the right moment.
The United States had an impressive first half against Wales, however, and their chances of pulling off a result against England will improve further if they are able to bring on forward Giovanni Reyna. Reyna currently plays for the German side Borussia Dortmund and is one of the best players for the U.S. when he isn’t injured.
A number of U.S. players also have experience against the English thanks to their time in the English Premier League. Chelsea player Christian Pulisic will be the most recognizable name to many. He provided the assist for the USMNT’s goal against Wales, and he’ll need to stay at his best to help this U.S. team succeed.
Though the U.S. is not a favorite to win the entire tournament, impressive individual performances could see more American players make the move to bigger European leagues. That kind of experience could prove invaluable and will only raise the profile of American soccer on the international stage. As one of the youngest teams at the tournament, the USMNT will be looking to develop its core talent ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Photo Credit: Europa Press
READ ALSO: HILL STATION HOSTS WATCH PARTIES AS USMNT RETURNS TO FIFA WORLD CUP