World Cup fever has officially gripped New York City. As soccer grows ever more popular in the United States, we review six of the best places to watch the tournament in Manhattan and Brooklyn:

1. Jack Demsey’s

Home of the New York City chapter of the American Outlaws Supporters’ Club, this is a great place to watch all the USA games as well as many others. As this bar gets quite crowded, especially for the USA matches, we recommend getting there early to find a spot to sit. Jack Demsey’s offers a large selection of draft beers, stout, ale, and cider, a large selection of bottled beers, and a full food menu sure to satisfy a wide range of tastes. With an 8 foot TV screen and over 12 additional televisions, Jack Demsey’s is sure to be serving up some tasty World Cup drama for the rest of the tournament.

36 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001

www.jackdemseys.com

2. 11th St. Bar

During the year, this neighborhood bar is better known as the home of the New York City chapter of the Liverpool FC Supporters’ Club. This Irish pub is a great place to watch matches, and has three televisions as well as a large projection screen with plenty of tables to sit and watch all the matches available throughout the tournament. 11^th St. has a wide selection of draft beers as well as wine and a full selection of liquors, and will have drink specials during all of the games. Though 11th St. only sells two types of paninis, have no fear if you require a more filling meal; they allow outside food, and the bar is located between Avenues A and B, with a wide range of take-out and delivery options available. If you feel so inclined to stay out after all the games have ended, 11^th St. has live music every night of the week – their live traditional Irish sessions on Sunday evenings are not to be missed!

510 E 11th St
New York, NY 10009

http://www.11thstbar.com/

3. Dorian Gray Tap and Grill

Like 11th St. Bar, this fantastic neighborhood bar is sure to be serving up hot World Cup action throughout the tournament. Boasting a wonderful and friendly staff, the Dorian Gray will have specials during every game. Happy hour runs until 7 PM, burger and a beer and wings and a beer combos will cost you $10, and well drinks and domestic beer  can be had for a mere $5. Besides these specials, the Dorian Gray has a full regular menu with a wide array of choices. There are several televisions throughout the bar that will be showing the full schedule of games. If you feel like staying for extra festivities after the games end, Tuesday night trivia is always a great way to unwind!

205 E 4th St
New York, NY 10009

http://www.doriangraynyc.com/

4. Banter

At this Williamsburg spot, every game is shown on two HD projection screens as well as 3 other televisions. One of Banter’s unique World Cup features are match replays every night at 8pm – extremely helpful to those who work during the day and are not able to catch their favorite team live. There will be specials for all the games, as well as $6 Caipirinhas throughout the month. Banter is also running a special called the World Cup Beer Passport: when you buy a beer from each World Cup country, you will receive a stamp in your passport. Fill your passport by the end of the tournament, and you will be eligible to win some great prizes such as two $100 Banter bar tabs, Banter t-shirts, Banter World Cup engraved mugs, scarves and official MLS/USA National Team/Cosmos gear and more! Further details on Banter’s World Cup Passport can be found here.

132 Havemeyer St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211

www.banterbrooklyn.com

5. The Roebling Inn

Tucked away on Atlantic Avenue just a short walk from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5 soccer fields, The Roebling Inn is truly a Brooklyn gem. Home to Brooklyn Liverpool FC supporters during the English Premier League season, this spacious bar will be showing all the World Cup matches. In addition to several televisions showing the games, Roebling offers skee ball and darts, making it a great place to get a group together for the games. Though the bar only offers a couple of food options, such as hot dogs and bratwurst, the bar allows outside food and there are several excellent take-out and delivery options in the area. The bar boasts a large selection of draft beers, and most will run you a wallet-friendly $5 or less.

97 Atlantic Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11201

www.theroeblinginn.com

6. Berry Park

A beer garden and full restaurant with great views of the city from their rooftop deck, Berry Park is a great place to catch all the World Cup matches. Happy hour is on weekdays only from 2 PM to 7 PM with $5 drink specials on offer. Berry Park has an extensive drink list that includes Belgian and German beer, signature cocktails, and ciders sure to satisfy. Berry Park does tend to get crowded, especially for the most in-demand games, so be sure to get there early to snag a table in front of several televisions and one large projection screen.

4 Berry St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211

www.berryparkbk.com

SEE MORE — Where to watch the World Cup in New York City

Though it is certainly tempting to call Liverpool’s 2nd place finish in the 2013-14 Premier League season a capitulation, it was not that. Despite not winning the title, Liverpool pushed Manchester City all the way – a situation few could have predicted after the previous season’s 7th place finish.

As Liverpool’s rival fans sang Steven Gerrard’s name at stadiums across England a week ago last Sunday, and one City fan was caught on camera holding up a sign thanking Gerrard for slipping, we would all do well to debunk a few of the myths surrounding LFC’s so-called “capitulation.”

Myth 1: Transfer Window Debacles

While it is true that Liverpool’s last two transfer windows have not been excellent, it is a stretch to say this cost the team the title. Publicly, we know that the club only had a couple of transfers on their radar in January. The failure to sign Ukrainian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka was made difficult by the owner of Dnipro, and nobody can say for certain that he would have made an immediate impact on the team. Coming from the Ukrainian league, which – with all due respect – is not as strong of a league as the Premier League would most likely not be an easy transition. Without any sort of preseason to settle, to learn Brendan Rodgers’ methods, and get to know his new teammates, Konoplyanka very well may have struggled for form. This sort of speculation rings even more hollow and false when Liverpool’s form after the January window is considered. Liverpool continued to be in great form for the remainder of the season, losing only one game (to Chelsea) and winning 11 in a row in 2014.

Furthermore, many point to last summer’s signings as being dead weight. This is only partially true – Luis Alberto is better known for drunk driving than for his skill in midfield, and Iago Aspas simply doesn’t look a Liverpool player. However, as per FSG’s transfer policy, LFC focused on making signings that were young and would help the team in the future. Though Tiago Ilori never played for the club since being signed, he is only 21 and it would be unfair to write him off yet. He has had an excellent loan spell at Granada, and was particularly excellent in a league game against Barcelona. Simon Mignolet was a massive improvement in goal over Pepe Reina – though Reina was a great servant to the club, his performances in recent seasons suggested his powers were waning. I found myself watching saves Mignolet made and wondering if Reina would have kept the ball out. It is important to remember that Mignolet is only 26, and very few goalkeepers – Thibaut Courtois aside – are the finished article at that age. Mamadou Sakho had a stop-start season as he struggled with injury issues, but in the games he did play, Sakho proved he is one to watch as his assuredness on the ball and strong physique were mixed with mistakes that could be chalked up to rustiness. It is early days in Sakho’s LFC career, and he is clearly valued by Didier Deschamps, who named him in France’s preliminary squad for the World Cup. Supporters will surely be expecting more from him in the 2014/15 season.

Finally, one needs only to look to a player like Jordan Henderson to know that the success of a transfer cannot be judged upon one season alone. By that school of thought, some might say that Manchester City’s summer transfer window was a failure, as only Fernandinho really came good while Stevan Jovetic struggled with injury and Alvaro Negredo’s goals dried up in the latter part of the season. With the Champions League on offer at Anfield next season, the club should be able to complete much bigger signings which will increase the squad size and give them steel for a title push next season.

Myth 2: Gerrard’s Slip Cost Liverpool Dearly

Though many call Gerrard’s slip the moment Liverpool lost the title, the truth is Liverpool’s other issues were likely to prevent them from winning the league. One chronic issue which undermined their ability to match Manchester City’s goal difference was a shoddy defense and strange inability to keep a clean sheet. Liverpool leaked goals all season, which cost them points. In particular, Kolo Toure’s disastrous back pass against West Bromwich Albion comes to mind. Had Liverpool not dropped points and had a tighter defense all season, the title might well have landed in the red half of Merseyside.

Although Martin Skrtel was the most consistent of the club’s defenders, his own goals did not help. In addition, the Slovakian’s wrestle-like style of defending could have ended up costing the club further, as there were several penalties that could have been given against him over the course of the season. In total, Skrtel scored 7 goals, including 2 in the rout of Arsenal, but his 4 own goals – a Premier League record – left him with a net of 3. That is simply not good enough for a team with aspirations as large as Liverpool’s. However, the blame does not merely fall on him. Glen Johnson had an inconsistent season, and countless goals were scored from moves on the right side of the pitch due to Johnson’s failings. Mistakes like Gerrard’s will happen, but Liverpool’s continual defensive lapses meant that any mistake made by the midfield would be magnified exponentially.

Myth 3: Liverpool’s Title Challenge Will Not Be Repeated

As this season proved, many pre-season predictions – as well informed as they may be – are simply predictions and nothing more. Just as few predicted that Liverpool would mount a credible title challenge in 2013/14, those who say that the club will have no chance of coming close again for years to come are not basing their argument on facts. Since the second half of the 2012/13 season, when Rodgers brought in Phillippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool have steadily improved as a side. There is no evidence to suggest they will take any backwards steps. Furthermore, though it is often mooted that Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal will all strengthen in the summer, there is no guarantee that every club’s summer signings will be a success. Manchester United would do well to learn from Liverpool’s difficulty in signing stars after dropping out of Europe all together.

Only time will tell, but the experience Liverpool’s largely young team have gained from the recently concluded season will more than likely leave them hungry for success. The sleeping giant has awoken – this is one team for which all bets are off.