With the World Cup just over a week away, every soccer fan's looking for a place to watch. Adams Morgan residents are fortunate to have a new prime venue: Earlier this spring, they welcomed the 90 Min Cafe, which hopes to attract everyone who loves the beautiful game.

Washington's newest soccer bar isn't like many others on the scene. The 90 Min Cafe opens at 8 a.m., pouring coffee and espresso and serving bagels to commuters on their way to work. A tiny basement-level space under El Rincon Espanol, the three-month-old 90 Min offers free wi-fi, a smoke-free environment and tasty lattes, but it has one major factor working against it during the World Cup: It doesn't serve alcohol.

So you can't get a beer during a match, but you can take comfort knowing you're among fellow supporters: a framed jersey from Argentina's famed Boca Juniors hangs on one wall; others feature posters of Juventus, D.C. United and Spain's RCD Mallorca. Overhead is a scarf in the colors of Venezula's national team. In the rear of the room, a rack holds recent issues of World Soccer and the official Manchester United magazine.

Two flatscreen TVs hang behind the coffee bar, usually showing ESPN Desportes, Gol or a similar Spanish-language network. That doesn't really matter, though, because soccer is a universal language.

-- Fritz Hahn (June 1, 2006)