Coopershill opened its doors at 10 a.m. Saturday for soccer fans to enjoy the World Cup match between the U.S. men’s national soccer team and the Netherlands.
When this year’s World Cup began, Coopershill owner Kyle Sullivan recalled 2018, when fans packed into his pub at 6 School St. in Peterborough to watch the final game between France and Croatia.
“It was a full house,” he said.
Sullivan, who lived for years in New York City, says he was surrounded by people in the city who were into watching English Premier League soccer. While he was raised watching traditional sports such as American football and baseball, and still does, it was that experience in New York that lit the soccer fire for him.
And when NBC negotiated a contract with the Premier League and began broadcasting, this allowed him to watch games more regularly. NBC acquired the rights in 2013, replacing Fox Sports and ESPN. Today, matches are on the NBC broadcast network and USA Network, as well as on Peacock, a television and streaming division of NBC Universal which is a subsidiary of Comcast.
“Once the games became more accessible in the mid-200os I got more into it,” he says. “I could watch soccer Sunday morning and the NFL in the afternoon.”
The U.S. men lost 3-1 to the Netherlands in Qatar Saturday, but for those who came to Coopershill to watch the game, this didn’t stifle the excitement of sitting with other fans in a public place. Mark Burgess, who said he’s not really into American football, was happy to have the opportunity to watch the game.
“I always love the World Cup,” Burgess said, explaining that a friend of his in college at Creighton University turned him on to soccer. “I’m really glad [the U.S. team] made it to the group of 16.”
By finishing second in its qualifying group, behind England but ahead of Wales and Iran, the United States made the single-elimination round of 16. The U.S. men’s team failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018.
“We’re big soccer fans,” said Rick Lesser, who was watching the game with Burgess. Following the U.S. loss, he said he’s looking forward to the 2026 World Cup which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. “And there’s always next year.”
Next year, the U.S. women’s national team will play in the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Sullivan, who grew up in Ithaca, N.Y., said soccer promotes diversity, especially the World Cup, because it includes “all walks of life.”
“It’s fun and exciting to watch,” he says, adding that he appreciates the cultural differences between soccer and traditionally watched sports in the U.S., pointing out that in Europe, many places shut down when big games are played. He looks forward to another full house at Coopershill for this year’s World Cup final on Dec. 18.