Lawrence’s Red Lyon Tavern, a haven for soccer folk, gears up for World Cup

A group of friends watch the opening game of the World Cup between Croatia and Brazil Thursday at the Red Lyon Tavern, 944 Massachusetts St. From left are James Duckworth, Dale Meador, Brett Benedict, in background, Joey Kennedy and Travis Robinett.

Are you something of a soccer newbie? Hey, that’s not a bad thing. Here’s a quick glossary of soccer terms to help you catch up.

Pitch – The playing field.

The box – The big rectangles at both ends of the field. If the defending team commits a penalty within the box, the opposing side is awarded a penalty kick (a free kick positioned directly in front of goal). The box also marks where a goalkeeper can put his hands on the ball.

Stoppage time – Additional time added at the end of both halves. The referee tracks how much of the game clock is wasted on throw-ins, injuries and other delays. It’s added on to recoup lost time.

Extra time – When a tied game goes into extra periods.

Howler – A silly, but colossal mistake by a player, often leading to a goal. See “Green, Robert; England vs. U.S.; World Cup 2010.”

Set piece – When a team is awarded a free kick, corner kick or throw-in. They sometimes involve choreographed plays.

Cap – Refers to how many times a player has appeared in games for a team. “Clint Dempsey has over 100 caps for the United States.”

Side – Another term for “team.” “Spain has an experienced side.”

Group of Death – A name given to the toughest group in the World Cup’s group stage. The United States, in the company of Germany, Ghana and Portugal, is considered to be in it this year. Only two will advance.

Best player in the world – Usually refers to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, although Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has his backers too.

When the big double doors of the Red Lyon Tavern are left ajar and the cries of joy — or anguish — spill out into the street, it can catch the curiosity of passersby.

Some will lean through the doorway and gaze up at a TV. Whether they expect to see a soccer match as the source of revelry isn’t clear. This time of year, baseball’s happening, sure, but many of the other big leagues are tying last knots or are in offseason mode. Soccer can often be an afterthought in the states, after all.

But not in this barroom, and, even for more casual soccer fans, not now, with the quadrennial spectacle that is the World Cup kicking off in Brazil.

“This is really the only football pub in Lawrence,” 23-year-old Jeremy Willard said last week, as he sat with a dark brew in hand, watching the U.S. men’s team in a pre-World Cup friendly versus Nigeria. “For someone like me this is the best place to be.”

There are plenty of establishments in Jayhawk-crazed Lawrence to catch any sports game. But none has distinguished itself as a haven for soccer quite like the Red Lyon, where fans who call themselves Mobsters and Outlaws (more on that later) assemble.

The tavern, long and narrow with walls festooned with beer memorabilia, opened about 21 years ago, just prior to a watershed moment for soccer’s popularity in the United States — when it hosted the 1994 World Cup.

“It was basically the first time they televised the World Cup, all the games and stuff,” said owner Jerry Neverve, who, with his wife and two adult sons, has followed the game for decades. “Two or three people would show up and as the years have gone by it’s just kind of a tradition now.”

In the years since, those sitting at Red Lyon bar stools have witnessed all sorts of unforgettable moments in the varied and global game of soccer. Staff members recall that launch-pad 1994 tournament, the U.S. women winning the World Cup in 1999, the great comeback by Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League Final.

Some games, such as Sporting Kansas City’s title triumph last year, can ignite a fervor that rivals even the holiest of Kansas basketball conquests.

“When we hit that last (penalty kick), it was as loud as when Mario took that shot,” bar manager Trina Baker said, referring to Mario Chalmers’ game-saving three-pointer in the final seconds of the 2008 NCAA Championship game.

So yes, Red Lyon does play host to other sports. It shares a love for other nearby teams as well. But its social media pages — though tossing in a post about the Jayhawks from time to time — rarely stray from soccer. And beer.

It’s also become a hub for two fan clubs. In June, it became official chapter member No. 131 of the American Outlaws, the nationwide group for the U.S. national teams. Years ago, it also helped spawn the Mass Street Mob, which reveres Sporting Kansas City.

The mob connection is so strong that Sporting stopped by Red Lyon with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy after winning it last December. They filled it with beer and sipped from it, Baker said.

It’s these groups that help forge a familiarity between all of Red Lyon’s clientele and its staff. The wife of Jerry Neverve, Sue, described the patrons as “family.”

Show up to the tavern on a somewhat regular basis and it doesn’t seem difficult to acquaint yourself with others. Two fans who managed to find a table for themselves during the U.S.-Nigeria friendly — John Novotny, 26, and Alex Garcia, 29 — said they both moved to Lawrence within the last year. They visit Red Lyon weekly and have come to know its crowd.

“The bartenders are really friendly,” Novotny said. “They remember you and everything; it’s really nice.”

And now that the World Cup is here, more are expected to join in on Red Lyon’s fun. The staff expects sizable crowds for most days of the tournament. Elbow room during U.S. games will be prime real estate.

“You add that element of nationalism to it and everyone’s a fan,” Jerry Neverve said. “It just makes me grin.”