I feel like I did my bit for USA's World Cup soccer team today. I got to Richmond Arms at the ghastly hour of 6 a.m., and then sat through two matches while waiting for U.S.-England to kick off around 1 p.m.

I hadn’t been sure if I really needed to be that early to get a seat, but, given the crowds that can gather at Houston's Mecca of football viewing, I decided to be there when the doors opened.

It turned out to be a little overzealous. Between 20 and 50 fans filed in for the first match, South Korea v. Greece. I could’ve slept in. I was far from the most exhausted fan, however.

Of the six people seated at my banquette, three had pulled all-nighters. Two of them said they were American soldiers — one a West Point graduate, no less, and the other was a Ranger. After facing the harrows of war, they said, they would have no trouble keeping awake until the 1 p.m. kickoff. Alas, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak, and I lost track of them as the crowd swelled.

The third sleepless man was more fortunate; a long-time U.S. resident of Korean ancestry, the improbably named Madison (I’ve actually tweaked his name in case he’d rather I not report on his merry-making) was there to see South Korea take on Greece in the early match.

Madison had bet one of his fellow car mechanics (a Salvadoran, he thinks) that he would shave his head if South Korea lost, while his co-worker only had to put up $10. Madison had nothing to worry about as his team cruised to an easy victory, while Greece looked lackluster at best. After the match he went off to the garage to work. I hope it was a slow day at the shop.

The bar filled to an agreeable level for the second match — Argentina v. Nigeria. Some Nigerian fans started to sing and the match began with a lovely atmosphere. Argentina could only capitalize on one of its many scoring opportunities — brilliant Lionel Messi fired again and again to no avail — but still took a comfortable 1-0 win.

Then came the main event, U.S. v. England. There had been verbal skirmishes throughout the early morning over the placement of each country’s flags, and so on, and the Yanks gave as good as we got. There was even a chant of “BP sucks,” which the Brits didn’t seem to take too personally. (Not to be glib, but if there were no BP in Houston, then there would be no Richmond Arms either.)

I’d say there were more Americans than Brits inside the bar. Tension built as kickoff neared. The English sang their anthem, “God Save the Queen,” then the Americans responded with the most powerful “Star-Spangled Banner” that I’ve ever been a part of. I think we made Richmond Arms vibrate.

I wish that the right-wing grouches who claim soccer is a fundamentally un-American game could’ve heard our patriotic, and surprisingly emotional, rendering, and perhaps joined in.

The game began on a disastrous note for the Yanks, as England’s Steven Gerrard scored a very easy fourth-minute goal. The U.S. looked overmatched for most of the first half, and then they got lucky. A routine Clint Dempsey shot spun away from goalkeeper Robert Green and trickled across the line.

Cue the roaring at Richmond Arms.

And the sweating. The legendary pub’s air-conditioning was no match for the crowd, and it got really, really hot inside. Over 100 degrees, I’d say with some confidence. The crowd was pretty well wilted by the end of the 1-1 draw.

The event wound up being an ordeal, and I’m not sure I’d do it again. (Of course, today may have drawn the biggest crowd Richmond Arms will see.)

On a related note, I’m told by reliable sources that Discovery Green drew "at least 4,000" to the Dynamo-sponsored viewing of the game. That’s an extraordinary number, and I wonder what it means for future outdoor events.

Robert Green's moment of gaffe: