Patrick Silvey typically needs to get an early start to catch his favorite sport and player in action.

On Saturday, Silvey found himself at Hat Trick Brewing in Spokane’s West Central Neighborhood just after 7 a.m. to watch Liverpool FC face Crystal Palace FC in a match played nearly 4,500 miles away in northwest England.

The two teams are in a tight race for fourth place in the English Premier League, the last spot that guarantees a berth to the UEFA Champions League – the highest competition in European club soccer. Spirits were high for Silvey and the roughly 10 other patrons who gathered to watch.

“I’m just a sports nerd,” Silvey said. “Big soccer guy.”

Nick Coons, who co-owns and operates Hat Trick with Remington Oatman, said he was inspired to open the bar after noticing how few options international soccer fans like Silvey have in Spokane to watch.

“I used to have multiple places I could go to watch games and all that stuff, bars would open up early,” said Coons, who moved to Spokane from San Diego. “And when I moved up here, there was really nowhere.”

Although Coons said Saturday mornings aren’t “super busy,” matches that begin at 8:30 a.m. Sunday typically draw a larger crowd.

“It’s one of those things where we’re here for whoever wants to come in and hang out,” Coons said. “We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or take over the world. We like to watch soccer, and we decided to have a place where anybody can come by.”

The match on Saturday provided a glimpse of what’s to come during the 2026 World Cup, which will be played throughout North America between June 11 and July 19. Liverpool and Palace feature a combined 17 players who have already made their respective home countries’ national teams, with several other players still vying for spots.

However, it’s Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah who has gotten the most attention. Salah will stay in the Spokane basecamp in between the Egyptian National Team’s matches in Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.

“Having Egypt in town. Just having a country stay in Spokane is really cool,” Coons said. “I think it’s going to be awesome.”

Silvey struggled to describe the significance of Salah in international soccer.

“The Tom Cruise of Egypt,” Silvey said.

Silvey has seen the star Egyptian forward play in person only once. He couldn’t have picked a much better time than the March 17, 2018, match between Liverpool and Watford FC. Salah scored four times in a 5-0 win.

“That was pretty special,” Silvey said. “The only Liverpool game I’ve ever been to, Mo Salah scored four goals.”

Although Liverpool won Saturday 3-1, the game did provide an injury scare that could linger into the World Cup.

In the game’s 58th minute, Salah fell to the pitch and clutched his hamstring. The Egyptian superstar was subbed out of the game and will not play in Liverpool’s match on Sunday. Egypt national team director Ibrahim Hassan told Reuters on Saturday that Salah has a hamstring tear, an injury that will sideline him for three to four weeks and could end his career in Liverpool, as he and the club he’s starred at for nearly a decade have been on rocky terms.

Although injury will likely knock Salah out for the remainder of Liverpool’s season, there is optimism that he could return in time for Egypt’s first World Cup match on June 15 at Lumen Field in Seattle.

“One of the best players ever in Liverpool history,” Coons said shortly after Salah walked off the pitch.

Martin Worsdall, a lifelong fan of Palace who was raised in the outskirts of London, has tickets to the Round of 32 and Round of 16 World Cup matches that will be played in Seattle. Rather than paying for a hotel, Worsdall will pay to park a camper van in a driveway at a house that he was told was within walking distance of Lumen Field.

“It’s so much cheaper than getting accommodation,” Worsdall said. “And even parking is so expensive.”

Coons said he isn’t sure what impact the upcoming World Cup matches will have on his business, but he’s excited for the tournament and will air every one of the 104 matches. After the four previous tournaments were held in South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar, Coon said he’s also excited that the action will take place in North American time zones.

“We’re really excited for the World Cup; it’s going to be huge for Spokane. I think in general, there are a lot of soccer fans, especially with the Zephyr and Velocity,” Coons said.