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Downtown Mountain View has been a destination of interest for many locals who’ve caught FIFA fever over the summer.
Since the World Cup kicked off June 11, the city of Mountain View has hosted its “Summer of Soccer” series. Inspired by the ongoing FIFA World Cup, hosted across 16 cities in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, the celebration has included interactive games, viewings and meet-and-greets with local soccer teams across the city.
Mountain View resident Antonia Varty and children Amali, 12, and Leo, 9, were in downtown Mountain View Thursday for a meet-and-greet with Bay FC players. Forward Alex Pfeiffer and midfielder Kennedy Fuller signed autographs and spoke with visitors, a number of them young girls who themselves played soccer.
Varty coaches American Youth Soccer Organization 45, and her daughter Amali plays for the team. Amali said she was excited for the opportunity to get to meet with the players face-to-face. While she and her mother frequent Bay FC games regularly, watching them from the sidelines is much different than getting to see them during a match.
“When I’m on one side of the field, they go to the other side,” she said.
Other meet-and-greets the city has hosted since the Summer of Soccer began include the MVLA Soccer Club, which trains advanced players in the Mountain View Los Altos High School District who are interested in playing at higher levels.
Upcoming Summer of Soccer events include a meetup with the San Jose Earthquakes’ mascot, scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, and viewing parties of the third-place game Saturday and the final match on Sunday.
The July 18 and July 19 matches are the first to be specifically hosted by Mountain View, city spokesperson Lenka Wright told the Voice. Based on previous sport-viewing events, including the city’s Football Fan Fest in February, the city hopes for a large public presence over the weekend. The February celebrations drew nearly 5,000 people downtown.
“We’ve also seen strong activity downtown during international soccer match days, with restaurants, businesses, and public spaces experiencing increased foot traffic as people come together to watch the games,” she said.
The final two games will also include the inaugural activation of the city’s entertainment zones, which will allow public drinking in certain downtown streets and sidewalks during city-sponsored events, Wright said.
Multiple businesses along Castro, including Simply Sabor in Ava’s Market, Agave Mexican Bistro and St. Stephens Green, have hosted viewings as part of the city’s Summer of Soccer. The city plans for a blowout this weekend, with festivities slated to include live music, games and giveaways along Castro, between Villa and California streets.
Antonia has frequented watch parties at Simply Sabor, which is owned by one of her friends. She spent most of the World Cup rooting for Mexico until the country’s defeat by England, and she said she rooted for the U.S. for a while. But as it becomes clearer who will be in the final match, Antonia and Amali are both rooting for Spain. Antonia’s husband is rooting for Argentina.
While Antonia and her family plan to visit downtown Mountain View Sunday for the final World Cup match, Mountain View resident Hisaka Winegar plans to watch the final game with friends. Even though she and her family aren’t the most avid soccer fans – and her daughter Coco prefers women’s soccer to men’s – they have felt the World Cup’s ever-looming presence since the series began.
“Because it’s here in the United States, it’s easier to follow,” she said. “And the energy, you feel it everywhere you go.”
Other Mountain View locations hosting watch parties as part of the city’s Summer of Soccer include Lungo, located along East El Camino Real, NAR Restaurant, along West El Camino Real, and ROGER Bar and Restaurant off Moffett Boulevard.
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