Liverpool fans find home away from home at Lower Manhattan pub: "This is their church"
NEW YORK -- With a combined nine European Cups between them, Inter Milan and Liverpool provided fans with a clash of the titans in Wednesday's Champions League match.
Liverpool came out with one foot in the quarterfinals and a 2-0 win on the road.
As CBS2's Kevin Rincon reports, being at Carragher's in the Financial District is not the same as being in the stadium, but it's pretty close.
Carragher's is named after a former Liverpool player, turned CBS commentator, and it's a link between New York City and Liverpool.
"It's more than just a game for most people, it's a way of life, and when they can come in here and feel like this is their church, it really is," said Patrick Kennedy, manager at Carragher's.
"To be able to come over to this country and watch English football, and Champions League as well, Jamie Carragher's name and that, absolutely brilliant, yeah, fantastic," said Shaun Martin, a Liverpool fan visiting from the United Kingdom.
Martin and his wife found a spot at the bar right next to the Champions League trophy, just one of the many reminders of the success this team has had.
"This is probably second only to Anfield, their home stadium. In the U.S., there is nowhere better to come watch football," Kennedy said.
Anfield itself is like a cathedral. It's over 130 years old and the attention is squarely on the field. No food or drinks in the stands, and it features not a single TV for fans to look at.
The excitement of a goal is hard to put into words, but back in New York, 3,300 miles away, fans have gotten a taste of that when Liverpool played at MetLife. They also played a game years ago at Yankee Stadium.
All of this, a far cry from how it used to be.
"People would record a game in Ireland on a Saturday or Sunday, and we would get it on a Monday or Tuesday and plug it into our video recorder to watch it," said Brian McLaughlin, owner of Carragher's.
"It's a religion, in a way, so to have a home like this, it's just massive," said Ivaylo Todorov, a Liverpool fan from Astoria, Queens.
The Italian side has a strong fan base in New York, as well. More than 2.5 million Italian Americans call our area home, so it comes as no surprise Inter Milan was also well-represented.
It was a quieter scene at Smithfield Hall, where the Inter Milan fans were gathered. Some skipped work to watch the Champions League match.
Inter Milan has won the Champions League three times but have a tough road to make it back.
CBS2's Steve Overmyer asked fans to describe what soccer means to Italians.
"It's really hard to explain to my American friends, like, I've been living here since a few years now, like, what it matters to me," said Andrea Pozzana, from Udine, Italy. "I think that a good comparison could be with college sports in the U.S."
"You know, when I was a kid, my dad said to me, 'You can support any team you want, but if you don't support Inter Milan, I'm gonna break your arm,'" said Giuseppe Vicinanza, from Milan, Italy.
Liverpool and Inter Milan will face off again in a month when they go to Anfield.