The birthday girl seated at the bar at Post was watching Nate Jaqua muddle. Muddling, in case you're unfamiliar, involves mashing fruit and/or herbs with a distinctly phallic wooden tool using a vigorous up-and-down motion. Nate Jaqua, in case you're unfamiliar, is a forward for the Sounders and is considered to be a very handsome individual. He and a few teammates were guest-bartending at Post one night last week for charity. "I just asked for anything muddled," the birthday girl said. "I just wanted to see him muddle!" All the women crowded all along the bar—and it was almost all women—were mooning over Jaqua and his muddling.

Jaqua was making a mojito, which involved a time-out with one of Post's actual bartenders, there for coaching, who reminded him that it should have a little sugar. He bumbled around a bit and located a packet near the coffeemaker, opened it up, and stirred it in. How was the mojito? He sincerely wanted to know. The birthday girl took a tentative sip, followed by a considerable pause. "It's oh-kay," she said diplomatically. "It's on the house!" Jaqua said. A lot of drinks were on the house. Jaqua, who'd been out all season following an injury, said he was feeling good; by last Friday, he was back in the game (and immediately scoring again). Asked about the World Cup, he said he mostly watches MLS (branch out, Nate) and picked, cautiously, Spain.

Sounder Taylor Graham jokingly said he liked New Zealand to win—something about a fellow Stanford man on the team—while signing several Sounders scarves with a Sharpie, then serving a very deep whiskey neat. "Taylor's trying to get me drunk!" crowed the customer. Another lady was inspired to have another drink: "Oh, what the hell—cute boys, stiff drinks!" Sounder James Riley took the order of a representative of the Seattle branch of America SCORES, a program that brings both soccer and creative writing to low-income urban elementary students and the beneficiary of the evening (donate here!). America SCORES wanted a shot. "Damn, America SCORES knows how to get down!" Riley noted. His World Cup choice? "A plethora," he said, then left no bet unhedged, mentioning the U.S. (optimistically), Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands, and South Korea ("because my mom's from there"), and adding that he wanted an African team to go far, any African team.

Late arrival Roger "the Dodger" Levesque chose Spain ("one of the deepest teams"). Levesque did more posing for photos, drinking, and being deviously good-looking than bartending, but by that point, no one cared. An effort to get the Sounders to drop trou led by the birthday party failed to get much traction in the increasing din. Swooning, Sharpie-signing, and photos continued, a ridiculously good time was had by all, and it was for the children. Goal!