The Rapids and The DNVR Bar teamed up this holiday season to bring soccer fans around Denver a special gift: a hub for World Cup watch parties. Fans of the beautiful game have shown up at The DNVR Bar as early as 6 a.m. MT to catch the earliest games played in Qatar while enjoying a new breakfast menu specially created for the tournament’s watch party viewers.
DNVR and the Rapids have a longstanding relationship with one another, as the Denver sports news outlet routinely covers the Burgundy Boys progress and has players and front office staff as podcast guests.
Mitchell Carroll, head of merchandise at DNVR and host of the Rapids-focused podcast, has seen a vision come to life during the watch parties held thus far.
“It's good to feel the old spirit of The Three Lions back in here,” he said. The Three Lions pub, a popular spot for soccer fans to catch Rapids, national team and Premier League games, occupied the same property on East Colfax before DNVR took over in 2019.
“We're always full for Nuggets and Broncos [games] but to be able to see this place packed out for a soccer match, as we've now had a full season of Rapids coverage and everything, come together and see the community come out, it's been great.”
In a sports community that’s saturated with Broncos, Nuggets and Avalanche coverage, DNVR is committed to giving the Rapids––and soccer––the spotlight they deserve. The watch party for the USMNT v. England matchup put the bar at capacity before kickoff.
Darin Rawnsley, a Colorado native, has been an off-and-on Rapids season ticket member for years and has grown from attending games with his family at Invesco Field to now enjoying matchups at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park with friends. He’s attended multiple watch parties, most recently to cheer on the USMNT in their defeat of Iran to qualify for the knockout stage.
“I think it's so important to have a space that is carved out and dedicated to soccer,” he said. “Because sometimes we do feel like the red-headed stepchild of Denver sports. But we do have big support here. We have tons of great fans, and I'm glad to see everyone come out even on a snowy Tuesday afternoon to come support the team.”
The support extends to not just fans, but Rapids players as well. Drew Moor, Seb Anderson, Oliver Larraz, Cole Bassett and Steven Beitashour all made appearances at one or more USMNT games during the qualifying stage, meeting fans and rooting on the Stars & Stripes.
“The atmosphere was electric,” said Moor of the USMNT v. Iran matchup. “I've been in Denver now for a long time and to see the growth of the sport since I got here in 2009…the sport is in a good spot and definitely in the country, but I would say in Colorado as well. It makes me proud and it gives me goosebumps, and I hope it continues to develop and grow like it is right now.”
Fans can catch every World Cup game at the DNVR Bar throughout the remainder of the tournament, while also earning the chance to win a 2023 Rapids home kit, co-branded USMNT and Rapids scarves and more.
