Despite the ultra-patriotism of the upcoming 4th of July weekend, there is a group of 2,000 Santa Barbarians who had an extra dose of patriotism last weekend at the Arlington Theater.
On June 26th, at 10 a.m., amidst Solstice craziness, we began to fill the Arlington breezeway. We danced and sang, shouting to anyone who would listen, wearing patriotic hearts on our sleeves, chanting: U-S-A!
Something happened that day during the USA/Ghana World Cup match. Santa Barbara realized soccer is not to be watched alone. We stepped outside the comfort of our homes and celebrated the game as a community.
Inside an overflowing Arlington Theater, we grabbed those next to us as Landon Donovan approached the penalty spot. When the ball careened off the post and into the back of the net, we danced together in the aisles. When Ghana finished us off in overtime, we sunk into our chairs – a community united in defeat.
Thank you, Arlington Theater, for encouraging Santa Barbara to root on the Yanks as one. Thank you Union Ale, and other local bars and restaurants, for tasty food and drinks as we root root root-ed for the true home team, even at 7 a.m. on a Wednesday.
The USA may be out of the World Cup, but a handful of us would like to keep this national pride flowing. We have joined The American Outlaws, the official supporter group of the U.S. Men’s National Team. The USMNT plays Brazil on August 10 and we’ll be patriotically chanting and singing like it’s the 4th of July—er, the 26th of June, all over again. Join us.—Ryan Zoradi, Brendan Moore, and Nick Calvin (on behalf of The American Outlaws, Santa Barbara Chapter)