You could have seen the clips going viral on social media. The followers watching sporting occasions indoors, on an enormous display screen that makes them really feel as if they’re within the stadium of their alternative. It’s a venue that has been frequented by the likes of Hollywood actor Danny DeVito and has remodeled the way in which top-level European soccer might be consumed in the US.
So, how does Cosm, as the brand new idea is thought, examine to the actual factor? The Athletic discovered. We despatched Pablo Maurer to Cosm Los Angeles to soak up Fulham vs Arsenal yesterday, whereas Caoimhe O’Neill watched the motion in individual from the group at Fulham’s Craven Cottage stadium.
Possibly greater than every other metropolis in the US, Los Angeles is a monument to American scale, dotted with outsized landmarks: the famed hillside Hollywood signal, a spaceship-sized soccer stadium and a bunch of different monuments to outsized kitsch.
Cosm Los Angeles, then, matches proper in. It’s ostensibly a sports activities bar however feels a bit extra like a theme park, that includes an 87ft (26.5m) huge video display screen that utterly and completely immerses you. Cosm takes the American obsession with making practically each sporting occasion a “premium” expertise to the acute, plopping you down on a sofa, primarily, in what seems to be the center of a stadium on one other continent.
Simply hours after I completed overlaying Main League Soccer’s championship match elsewhere within the metropolis on Saturday night time — among the many most genuine footballing experiences you may have in the US — I hopped in my automobile at 5am to look at Fulham tackle Arsenal from 5,000 miles (practically 9,000km) away in Cosm. I nursed my hangover with a $15 (nearly £12) bloody mary and a $17 slice of avocado toast, alongside People who’ve shunned MLS in favour of the actual model of the game, as they often say.
Clips taken inside Cosm have gone a bit viral on social media and the encircling narrative is that it’s the closest you will get to a real matchday expertise with out the difficulty of attending the match itself. In America, it’s a simple promote to Premier League supporters, a lot of whom not often, if ever get an opportunity to go to their chosen membership’s dwelling floor.
Remnants of Storm Darragh batter Fulham followers as they make their means down the steps at Putney Bridge station.
They’re met by calls of “Get your matchday scarves” and others making an attempt to dump spare match tickets. It’s 35 minutes till the 2pm kick-off however no person appears in any nice rush, even within the rain, as the previous few Arsenal supporters end their pints of beer and go away The Eight Bells pub.
Followers stroll from Putney Bridge station to Fulham’s floor (Caoimhe O’Neill/The Athletic)
As throngs of followers make their means over the River Thames, through Putney Bridge itself, and in the direction of Craven Cottage there’s one man going in opposition to the group, awkwardly carrying a Christmas tree. In Bishops Park, the inexperienced railings that overlook the fast-moving river information us in the direction of the stadium.
Amongst these making that muddy stroll are Charles Singer and his daughter Kirsty. The 72-year-old Scotsman is an Arsenal fan however grew to become a member at Fulham after discovering it troublesome to get tickets to Arsenal video games on the Emirates Stadium. They are going to be sitting within the new Riverside Stand — which extremely features a sky deck, rooftop terrace and a swimming pool. “I hope Emile Smith Rowe (previously of Arsenal) scores for Fulham immediately however my coronary heart needs an Arsenal win as a lot as I really like watching Fulham,” says Charles, who has made the 93-mile (150km) journey from Bathtub, within the west of England.
Craven Cottage is a sight to behold. It’s (components of it anyway) the oldest soccer stadium in London and in addition one of the vital aesthetically pleasing. The Johnny Haynes Stand — which is cornered by the precise cottage to which the bottom bears its title — has slim turnstile entrances constructed into the encircling brickwork. With quarter-hour till kick-off, followers bundled up in opposition to the winter climate are queuing as much as squeeze by these slight openings in a wall which bears traditional Fulham crests.
“Everybody is aware of Pam Wilson,” one Fulham fan says as he buys a matchday programme.
Pam, one other Scot, has been promoting programmes from the identical spot on Stevenage Street for 26 years. The Athletic finds her as she is giving canine treats to a ginger labrador. “I convey treats for the canine and sweets for the youngsters. You must give again to the neighborhood,” the 51-year-old says. “I’ve beloved Fulham ever since I first got here right here in 1997.
“I promote programmes exterior Stamford Bridge earlier than Chelsea video games too (the 2 stadiums are solely a few miles aside in west London) however I’m Fulham 100 per cent. I get common prospects who’ve been shopping for programmes from me for years. Individuals are superstitious. Once they purchase a programme right here and Fulham don’t win I get moaned at, however then if I’m not right here one week they moan and groan. I really like the banter.”
Let’s get this out of the way in which: there isn’t any means, actually, to convey the dimensions of the display screen at Cosm.
You might be primarily sitting within it, so to talk, because it cycles by 4 completely different digicam angles beamed immediately from, on this case, Craven Cottage. The Cosm house is cut up into three ranges and my ticket has positioned me on the second, simply to the left of the centerline.
The place is much from full, this can be a 6am native time begin on a Sunday, however there are nonetheless fairly just a few followers in attendance, and most of them are supporting Arsenal. Fulham, although, have all the time had a particular place within the hearts of the American soccer fan, from the times of Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey to Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson and proprietor Shahid Khan extra lately, and immediately, the Los Angeles chapter of their American fan membership is in attendance. All six or so of them.
When Raul Jimenez will get the opener for Fulham about 10 minutes in, they explode, drawing groans from the Arsenal followers in attendance.
The size of the display screen at Cosm is unbelievable (Pablo Maurer/The Athletic)
“Environment is ambiance,” says Todd Petty, who sits alongside his father Mark, additionally a Fulham supporter. They’ve been to Craven Cottage many occasions. “If we have been sitting within the Putney Finish or the Hammersmith Finish or the Riverside, it could be completely different. However for us to be sitting right here within the crowd, and to listen to the chants and the cheering, to hitch in, it does offer you a little bit of that have.”
Moments later, that tiny little bit of magic disappears when a problem with the feed from throughout the Atlantic causes the image to drop out utterly for about 5 minutes. It’s a little bit of a actuality examine.
After managing to get into the bottom with two minutes to spare earlier than kick-off, we’re listening to referee Chris Kavanagh being referred to as “ineffective” by one Fulham fan inside a minute of the opening whistle being blown. The stand we’re in is outdated and the view, regardless of our ticket costing £81 ($103), is so restricted I’ve to look at the motion by and round a steel pillar when Arsenal are on the assault, which is for almost all of the primary half — till I transfer into an empty seat additional alongside the row.
When Mexico worldwide Jimenez scores with Fulham’s first shot from their preliminary assault, his nation’s flag is unfurled by followers within the Riverside Stand behind the 2 dugouts. A bit boy in a Fulham shirt jumps into his mom’s arms to rejoice as Jimenez dances in entrance of the Arsenal followers — a lot to their frustration.
Arsenal ahead Bukayo Saka is jeered and instructed to “f*** off” when he volleys a shot into the Hammersmith Finish as rain swirls into all 4 stands.
The guests from throughout London stay 1-0 down as their followers within the away finish chant, “You solely got here to see the Arsenal play.” One Fulham supporter enjoys (even when the Arsenal contingent can’t immediately hear him) stating, “We got here to see Fulham!” When Smith Rowe takes a heavy contact, he’s reminded by one other within the dwelling crowd that he doesn’t play for Arsenal anymore — as if he has in some way forgotten.
The service at Cosm was nice, albeit somewhat sluggish. The workers have been pleasant and attentive, in step with the posh expertise the place is looking for to supply. Prime-level professional sports activities in the US way back grew to become a product for the rich, and Cosm matches that mould fairly nicely.
To most people, my seat on stage two of the place would price practically $90 (£70), about twice what you’d pay for an inexpensive ticket to an LAFC match in MLS at their stadium down the road. Cheaper choices can be found for those who’re keen to face or mill in regards to the overflow areas.
I’ve a espresso, a bloody mary and a bit of avocado toast. The food and drinks, frankly, have been glorious however once more, the objects would set me again practically $40. I can’t consider a single sports activities group I might pay a mixed $150 (£117) to assist in a single regular-season recreation, even in individual, although possibly that’s only a private downside.
As halftime approaches, I stroll exterior, to the venue’s deck, which gives a completely, positively spectacular view of the encircling hills. Cosm overlooks SoFi Stadium, dwelling of the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, and the streets beneath are already dotted with Rams followers who’ve queued up for his or her recreation in opposition to the Buffalo Payments, which kicks off in 5 or 6 hours.
The dude subsequent to me takes successful off of a weed pen. It’s somewhat early for that, for my part, however Arsenal have certainly been robust to look at immediately.
On 43 minutes, some followers head to the concourse to beat the half-time rush for £7.20 ($9) pints and £7 ($8.92) hen and sage pies.
When the remainder of us head down into the cramped house beneath the outdated picket seats shortly afterwards, it takes the vast majority of the 15-minute break to get served. Most go for pre-poured pints of Camden Hells lager. Others munch £9.50 ($12) jumbo scorching canine. Again-to-back scorching chocolate orders imply one server disappears to the top of the bar for lengthy waits on the scorching water station. There are additionally plenty of requests for Bovril, a beef-flavoured drink that’s a staple of English soccer winters, to are likely to.
Followers queue for food and drinks at half-time at Craven Cottage (Caoimhe O’Neill/The Athletic)
These within the seats closest to the pitch are paying for it immediately with damp coats and jackets. The top steward fingers plastic rain ponchos to these colleagues whose stations imply they don’t seem to be below shelter. Being nearer to the pitch does imply you may extra crisply hear the ball being kicked and see small clumps of turf stick up into the air as Martin Odegaard sprays a move by the rain.
Technical issues plague the feed once more within the second half at Cosm, main the small crop of Fulham supporters to interrupt right into a “What’s the WiFi password?” chant, drawing laughter and groans from the Arsenal followers in attendance.
When the feed works, it’s actually spectacular.
For years, I’ve watched matches from the press field, and I’ve all the time appreciated the excessive angle from there, the way in which it lets you see the match holistically. Oftentimes your eyes will wander and also you’ll see performs develop off the ball, one thing so incessantly missing from the printed feed. At Cosm, different curious bits add to the viewing expertise: followers who seem on the display screen are bigger than life and you’ll generally see them utilizing their cellphone or chatting with one another.
The feed from Craven Cottage goes down at Cosm (Pablo Maurer/The Athletic)
The four-camera setup is managed by Cosm workers and a kind of views comes from immediately behind the objective, which proved to be my favorite. You’ll be able to research gamers on the close to put up as they relay defensive ways and watch the goalkeeper place his defenders. Arsenal rating their second objective (later disallowed) on a nook kick, and my view of the motion couldn’t have been nearer:
I’m at @CosmLosAngeles, which is totally insane. pic.twitter.com/IO8cwuHt5t
— Pablo Iglesias Maurer (@MLSist) December 8, 2024
There’s much more rain and lots extra expletives within the second half from the house followers — particularly after William Saliba ranges the scores. Arsenal midfielder Jorginho’s shouts of “Keep there” to ahead Gabriel Martinelli are audible from throughout the bottom. His recommendation works, seemingly, as Martinelli cuts in from the best to supply the cross for Saka’s would-be profitable objective, although it seems the Brazilian was offside within the build-up.
Earlier than they knew that, the Arsenal followers wildly celebrated. Some even used the rain-soaked plastic partition that saved them separated from the Fulham followers within the Putney Finish as a water slide to get nearer to the pitch. Saka was mobbed by his team-mates. Some Fulham followers couldn’t sit by the ache of it and obtained as much as go away.
When the video assistant referee reviewed the objective and chalked it off, a few of them — however not all — returned to their seats to look at the ultimate couple of minutes of the sport.
A restricted view at Craven Cottage (Caoimhe O’Neill/The Athletic)
The Arsenal supporters tried to place the frustration behind them as their group put collectively some late assaults however it was the Fulham ones who banged their toes to create a rumbling sound because the guests’ Declan Rice stood over a free kick on the left facet of the pitch. They appeared happy with themselves when the ball curled into the away finish behind the objective and Rice coated his face together with his fingers.
Cosm, fairly merely, isn’t very similar to being at a sporting occasion in individual. The individuals who run the place, although, will usually let you know that it isn’t purported to be. It’s one thing else totally, feeling a bit extra like a 3D film than going to a recreation. Components of the matchday expertise are there, after all — the supporters, the food and drinks, all that — however on the finish of the day it’s nonetheless a really sterile atmosphere, not fairly as, um, seasoned as the environment at Craven Cottage.
Nonetheless, for those who’re the kind of one that likes lighting cash on fireplace, it’s price trying out. The know-how is undeniably loopy and is totally Cosm’s promoting level.
Ultimately, it feels lots much less like Anfield, Previous Trafford or every other stadium and extra like one thing plucked out of 2001: A Area Odyssey. I’ll persist with attending matches in individual after I can.
Heading again by Bishops Park, the mud is even worse than it was pre-match as followers disperse within the route of Putney Bridge and the station it provides its title to. Drizzly rain is ever-present as each units of supporters rejoice and lament. Teams of Arsenal followers argue amongst themselves about whether or not or not they’re in or out of the title race after failing to win immediately.
The sellers of half-and-half scarves have an urgency of their voice understanding the time to shift remaining Fulham vs Arsenal merchandise is fleeting.
Those self same Arsenal followers head to The Eight Bells to proceed their debrief. Fulham followers heading onto the Tube with mud-covered sneakers appear fairly pleased with the purpose.
(Prime pictures: Craven Cottage’s restricted views and Cosm Los Angeles: Caoimhe O’Neill and Pablo Maurer/The Athletic)
