Remember last summer? You know, the one when, for a few weeks, we all cared about soccer? When names like Mascherano and Altidore and Schweinsteiger and Neymar became household and we all believed that we would win? And then, after the USMNT fell to Belgium, or maybe after Germany hoisted the trophy, we placed soccer back in the drawer, right next to curling and the mens' 200 meters individual relay. "See you again in four years, soccer," we said.
But then there are the demented few. We're the ones that wear silly shirts with logos of insurance companies on the front. We wake at ungodly A.M. hours that exist only in theory and crawl to Mad Dog in the Fog or El Farolito or Kezar Pub to sing songs for teams that play in cities like Liverpool and Dortmund and Bilbao and San Francisco?! Yes, San Francisco.
San Francisco City Football Club is a non-profit team playing at the 4th tier of soccer in the US. They have no stadium, their players have day jobs, and unlike Green Bay Packers shareholders, SFCFC members have honest-to-goodness voting rights. They also won the NorCal Premier League and earned a berth for the U.S. Open Cup. Bayern Munich, they are not, but since when were we front-running glory hunters? San Francisco City FC represents the local burgeoning grassroots soccer scene with their sights set on advancing up the U.S. soccer pyramid.
But more importantly, they drink beer. Or, their fans and members do, at least. Tomorrow at 3:30 PM, SFCFC will be at Barrelhead Brewhouse to greet fans. Songs will be sung, scarves will be worn, and a good time will be had. And then they will lead a march down Fulton to Negoesco Stadium on the USF campus where they will play a friendly against the Dons at 6 PM.
This is San Francisco soccer at its finest. This will let you out-snob those who prefer the Championship to the Prem. When others are discussing the importance of supporting homegrown soccer in the MLS, you can be smug while petting your SFCFC scarf. Or, you can just forget all that esoteric soccer pretense and simply support a local squad because the tickets are cheap, the team is accessible, and soccer is just plain fun. Also, beer.