English revelers turned Manhattan into West Britain on Saturday, packing local pubs to celebrate a 2-0 World Cup victory over Panama.
The beer flowed as freely as the chants, with fans embracing the rare thrill of a decisive win.
“I’ve been here since half past one,” said Michael Jennison, 32, a Manchester native who admitted he’d been “held captive” by the revelry for nine hours at Smithfield Hall in Chelsea.
“This is a good way to be held captive,” he told The Post.
“I mean, it was always America. We call it West Britain… I came from Manchester… I went to the game in Boston,” he said.
“I spent $1,000 on the ticket, and it was a nil nil draw. Money well spent.”
At Jones Wood Foundry, the mood shifted from rowdy singing to cautious optimism.
“As an English fan, there’s always an element of… realism,” said Ed Furnell, 42, who is from the UK and now lives in Brooklyn.
“We’re a very pessimistic supporting group.”
Other Britons might not be as ecstatic about the English victory.
“We are also quite sad that Scotland went out, but I’m not quite sure that Scotland would be too disappointed if we went out,” he continued.
Vincent Nash, 41, originally from London but now lives in New York, watched the game at MetLife Stadium and came to the Foundry to have a beer.
“Everyone had the flags up, everyone was having really good banter,” he told The Post.
“There are so many English people here, and everyone has had such a great time, and it’s just been really good.”
“Everyone was chanting ‘Come on England!’”
Read the full article here