Soccer Fans Pack OB's Grill for Match

Almost 100 people packed a small OB's Grill & Bar Saturday to watch the United States tie England in a much-hyped World Cup soccer match.

The floors were particularly sticky, even for a pub, and the reason became clear when watching the waitresses shuttle trays of beer from the bar to patrons sitting at one of the dozens of tables and booths in this Manhattan Beach establishment.

Despite their balancing expertise, these servers were no match for the torrent of animated hand gestures that accompanied boisterous conversation over the game and thus spills were inevitable. The sounds of the game blared from the half-dozen or so flat screen televisions mounted on the walls.

"USA, USA, USA," went the chant emitted from the crowd of people crammed in the spaces between tables. Not a single square inch of ground was unoccupied.

Closer to the bar, one could hear and smell the sizzle of the grill. Two workers shuffled back and forth behind the confines of the bar to accommodate the onslaught of food orders.

Another worker moved quickly between the beer tap and the cash register all game long.

"World Cup fever here," said bartender Lawrence Thomas. "We've been opening at 4:30 in the morning, and of course today's the biggest game—the first game between [the U.S. and] England."