AVFC New Mexico Lions

NM Lions! Join us at Tin Can Alley this Saturday at 10:30 where we'll have another good-natured face off against the Duke City Gunners. UTV!

Obligatory photo dump of our presence during the 2024 Summer Tour!

NM LIONS at ALBUQUERQUE RED DEVILS POST-MATCH REPORT:

LOCATION: Starr Brothers Brewing Company

Another brewery located just a short exit off of 25 going north. It was a nice spot, though the primary televisions for viewing were all delayed by about a minute each. This did allow for the quick viewing of replays in real-time, but this was still a pain in the ass because the furthest television from the general seating area was the quickest of the three.

Pints were the standard $6, and the wait staff were pleasant for a 9:30 kickoff. My one complaint is that the doors opened at 9:28 - so trying to get in and get a beer prior to kickoff was functionally impossible. I also (embarrassingly) failed to sneak my breakfast burrito into the venue and was forced to order a (surprisingly solid) burger at halftime.

Rating: 7.5/10

BEER:
The first half, we went with the Lampshade Porter (ABV 6.7%) - an American Porter which was malty and delicious.

After a full half of sitting with Man U fans, we had to transition to something stronger. Thus, we blindly ordered an American IPA (“Starr Struck” - ABV 7.5%) which, being malt-forward, was well balanced and very drinkable. Really enjoyable beer.

Rating: 9/10

OPPOSING FANS & ATMOSPHERE:
After seeing two dozen Arsenal supporters on our last away day, I expected Man U to boast a similar size considering years of tradition and all of that BS. They had about ten - though they supposedly attract about 18-20 fans on non-Super Bowl days. Due to the small crowd, I was able to get into a series of conversations and pick up some good soundbites. Highlights included:

- Someone bringing out a full Old Trafford replica stadium to place on a table which was subsequently ignored for the entire game.

- Everyone (including myself) being entered into a free raffle which was some gift bag or something like that. I’ll save my luck for the Arizona raffle, thank you very much.

- “I think Usher is going to invite Vanilla Ice on stage.”

- Sharing advice on finding a quality custom-flag maker online (the NM Lions Flag is too transparent for my liking)

- Somehow convincing a Man U fan to hold the other end of said flag for their official halftime photo.

In all honesty, this was a super welcoming group that didn’t give me any s**t at all - to the point that it was almost off-putting (but that was also very Burqueño of them).

Rating: 8.5/10

VILLA SUPPORT:
Fu***ng massive, as always.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:
Not too shabby. I was hoping that my predisposed inclination to hate Man U would be rewarded with a slightly more hostile environment, but that’s a silly thing to complain about. Starr Brothers has been home to a variety of supporters in the past (there being scarves from several teams hanging at the bar), so maybe there’s synergy to be had there. Until then, I’ll continue my extremely scientific survey of locations.

FINAL RATING: 8/10

Join us this Sunday at 9:30 for the second "away day" of the season against Albuquerque Red Devils at Starr Brothers Brewing Company.

UTV!

Join us this Saturday for the first "away day" at 10:30 AM against the Duke City Gunners at Santa Fe Brewing at Tin Can Alley!

Also, we actually have a Facebook group now which (which is what I should have created in the first place, but we've come this far) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/avfcnmlions/

UTV!

Unfortunately there is NOT an away day at the local Liverpool pub planned for the game this weekend. However, as we get up to speed and seek our own local, future away days will be planned for:

9/23 - vs Chelsea (may be defunct after a mid-table finish - we’ll reach out)

12/9 - vs Arsenal (Duke City Gunners)

1/30 - vs Newcastle (Toon Army Santa Fe)

2/10 - vs Manchester United (Albuquerque Red Devils)

3/9 - vs Tottenham (New Mexico Spurs)

4/27 - vs Chelsea (may be defunct - we’ll reach out)

5/11 - vs Liverpool (505 Reds)

UTV