Take Two: Man U friendly is a time to celebrate soccer

Bill Husie doesn't have to beg for the George & Dragon to turn a soccer match on.

In fact, he doesn't have to ask.

"It's on," Husie said.

That makes the Fremont pub an oasis for Husie and other soccer fans. A place where you don't have to defend the sport or justify a shootout, an island in an ocean of a country that remains largely conflicted about soccer and its appeal.

The George & Dragon Pub has been a nerve center of sorts for soccer in this city since 1995. It has opened before dawn for particularly compelling matches and stayed open even after they ceased selling alcohol for others.

I arrived before 6 a.m. to watch a World Cup match between England and Portugal in 2006, and have stayed late, too. On Tuesday, I came for lunch, ordered fish and chips and didn't have to ask for malt vinegar to be brought out. They know their pub fare as well as they know their soccer.

I came to find out what all the fuss was about with Manchester United coming to town for Wednesday's exhibition match against the Sounders. I wanted to find out how our city's soccer cognoscenti were viewing this showcase.

Manchester United has been called the New York Yankees of English soccer. That's not quite right, though. The Yankees are more like the American equivalent considering Manchester United was rated by Forbes as the most valuable sports franchise in the world.

That popularity leaves very little middle ground. You cheer for the juggernaut or hope that someone beats it. Manchester United is not England's national team, and there are a fair number of fans of English soccer — roughly all of those rooting for Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and any team that is not Manchester United — who would prefer the Red Devils lose. Just like the Yankees, there's no ambivalence.

So with Manchester United in town to play the Sounders on Wednesday, would a Chelsea fan attend this match?

"Absolutely," said John Ravenhill, co-owner of George & Dragon.

Ravenhill will be among a busload of at least 50 who will head out from the put Wednesday afternoon, headed to the game. Some will be Manchester United fans clothed in red. Others will be supporters of different clubs who may very well be in Sounders green.

"There will be a bit red and green down there," Ravenhill said. "It will look a bit Christmassy altogether."

Husie will be going, too. He cheers for Arsenal in England's Premier League, and has a fondness for the Bundesliga — Germany's top division — as well. Wednesday's match is a chance to see a world-class club in person with all its star power on display.

"You don't get very many opportunities like this," Husie said.

And that evoked my second question: What's the big deal about an exhibition match? A friendly, as it's called in soccer parlance. It's a practice game from my perspective, and I've always been one who felt that a sporting contest needed something on the line to be truly compelling. It's why I find All-Star games in American sports relatively uninteresting.

But talking to Husie, I gained an appreciation for what it means for a soccer fan to see a team like Manchester United in Seattle.

It is a sign of progress in local soccer that a team like Sounders FC, which is in its third season in MLS, could host a global powerhouse whose roots go back to the 1880s. No one thinks the two are equals, but having Manchester United come is a sign that Seattle isn't entirely insignificant in the world of soccer.

More than that, it is a chance to witness the skill and majesty of some of the best players in the world without having to discuss or defend the sport's importance. Part of the reality of being a soccer fan in this country is having to explain the sport's appeal to Americans who either don't understand it or are outright hostile.

"People walk up to me, and say, 'I hate soccer,' " Husie said. "I say, 'You know, that's why they put golf on TV.' It's OK. It's OK you don't like it."

Those kind of broadsides can make it exhausting for someone like Husie who doesn't just like soccer, but has a passion for it. That's why Wednesday's match is so exciting even for those who aren't Manchester United fans. It's a chance to be a fan of the game they love, something that isn't always easy in the United States.

"It's like being around 65,000 people who are not really too worried (whether) soccer will catch on in this country," Husie said. "It makes me feel happy."

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com