What's your favorite soccer bar in Charlotte? 1. Hooligans is awesome for an MLS game, but it's small and IMHO: gets too crowded for a US WC Qualifier. 2. Jackalope Jacks used to be good, but they've had some staff turnover, and nobody really seems to care. 3. Conolly's - haven't been there to watch a soccer game, but watching rugby there is cool. Others?
Hooligans is still the best- just have to get there early. Jacks could give a crap about USA matches- they are the England bar and really only care about England internationals (I've been there for Gold Cup matches and been the only one watching the USA). Conolly's is a good place for big matches (WC Qualifiers and WC and Euros and some major EPL matches) but not friendlies, etc. The crowd at Conolly's never seems to know the chants, songs, etc. You have to go to Hooligans with the Outlaws for that.
Last time I went to Hooligans late, it was so packed I could barely get in the door, and then couldn't get anywhere near the bar. Couldn't get out of the house until 1/2 hour before kickoff for the US v Honduras game last night. So I went to Connollys on 5th. They had the game on the big screen, but no sound. There were about a dozen of us there to watch the game and half us left to go next door to Prohibition as they were having half price drink specials, and we watched it without sound there. Hooligans is apparently the only true soccer bar in Charlotte.
Having grown up in Charlotte - I am just grateful we have a soccer bar that it is hard to get into. Hooligans rocks!
A guy on my indoor soccer team told me that Big Ben is a good place to watch US games. He said that their projection screen is a bit dodgy, but they put the sound up. Anyone been there to watch a US game that wasn't during the WC?
I didn't get tickets to the US v. Mexico game. If you see some guy at Hooligans for the US v Costa Rica game with a home made sign that says "I Need Tickets", that's me.