Gene MaddausIn perhaps a sign of the growing popularity of soccer in the United States, the L.A. Department of Water and Power recorded a modest spike in water usage at halftime of Thursday's World Cup game between the U.S. and Germany.
Water usage then dropped sharply during the second half. It spiked again when Angelenos went to the bathroom en masse at the conclusion of Germany's 1-0 win. The chart above is from readings taken at the DWP's Franklin Canyon Reservoir.
The “Super Bowl Flush” is well documented, so this is not exactly a surprise. And the peaks at the right of the chart are dwarfed by the peaks at 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. – which apparently are the two most popular wake-up times in L.A.
Nevertheless, this feels like a milestone of some sort for U.S. soccer.
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Of course, American fans have a long way to go before they can match the volume of the Europeans. Here is a chart of Berlin's water usage during the Germany-Ghana game last Saturday (via Reddit):
Credit: Reddit user schoenling128
Now THAT is a halftime flush.
Canadians seem to be pretty fanatical as well. Here's a chart from the Edmonton, Alberta, water utility during the gold medal hockey game four years ago.
Credit: via PatsPapers.com
So we have our work cut out for us. Fortunately, the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16 and will play Belgium on Tuesday.
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