GOOOOOOOOOOL!

It's FIFA World Cup time again.  Can it  be four years since the 2010 South African games with those ever present vuvuzelas in the background?   I must admit to being a World Cup fan. It is a international competition, with exotic locations, players of all nationalities, and commentators speaking "World English," in its many varieties.

In my home town of El Paso, Texas, soccer is especially popular because of our proximity to Mexico.  The Republic of Mexico boasts enthusiastic  fútbol fans. When Mexico was scheduled to play Cameroon at one of the early games in the competition,  my husband Wayne and I knew that our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Barrigas, would be a lively spot to watch the game.  We made plans to enjoy breakfast and the match.

We arrived at Barrigas early, around 8:30 am, in order to locate a prize table with a good view of the TV monitor.  It was a wise decision, because the restaurant was filling up quickly.

We started our meal with strong coffee and a complimentary plate of fruit and watched the pre-game show.

A full breakfast followed, but we started gobbling it up before I remembered to take a picture.  The dining room was a sea of green, one of the principal color of the Mexican flag.

The fans were of all ages.  

Some needed a few Tecate beers to make it through the match (after all, it must have been cocktail hour somewhere in the world).

It was exciting to watch the game with like-minded fans.  A roar went up every time it appeared that Mexico was about to score.

Mexico was not lucky with this try on goal, but the match fortunately ended Mexico 1, Cameroon O.  

For a few hours, I had been transported out of my ordinary, everyday world to Natal, Brazil, which no longer seemed to be a world away.