I've followed the USMNT for most of my adult life, and it's one of the few ways I will actively express my pride in my nation in the age of Trump.
Reading some of the reasons that people aren't supporting the US makes me role my eyes. Read even a little bit about this team and you'll realize that the team itself represents the BEST of our country.
There are the sons of servicemen who learned the game while the lived overseas.
There are sons of immigrants who moved to the US for a better life.
There are dual nationals who could have played somewhere else, but chose to represent the Stars and Stripes.
There are players who are representing the US in leagues all over the world.
I like this team precisely because they are so much more diverse and open to the international world than some of our other sports. The team is not the presidential administration.
Gen Xer here who also found joy in rooting against the USA. I no longer have a major rooting interest in the tournament, because previously I was simply rooting for whoever was playing against the USA in a given game. Now that we lost in a humiliating fashion after our embarrassing and corrupt leader put his thumb on the scales, I'll just watch and hope for good games. But it was pretty satisfying seeing us get our asses handed to us by a country with a small fraction of our size and population. We didn't belong on the same pitch with those guys, and in hindsight, anyone who thought we had a shot at winning this thing was rather foolish.
Stranger things have happened. Trump wasn’t supposed to win the 2016. Clinton was way ahead. It was a long shot bet for him, but sometimes the long shot wins.
Was this on their way to chic-fil-a or starbucks, or after while they enjoyed the food and drink in their big cars, with the ac blasting while thumbing thru their phones...
My problem with rooting for the US teams in these international competitions this year (this and the winter Olympics) has been the way Trump has inserted himself into everything. As such, I just knew if the US team won the World Cup, Trump would be there hoisting the trophy. Hell, he might have just decided to keep it for himself in the Oval Office (and then have it transferred to his "presidential library" after he left office, or whatever).
If it's something that could end up looking good for Trump, whatever it is, I can't help but root against it. I had this vague feeling before the US men's hockey team won the gold in Italy this year, and all the celebrations with Kash Patel and the phone call with Trump, the way he invited the team to his SOTU speech, etc, it all just put me off.
If Trump was able to not insert himself into things like this, it would be a lot easier to support the US teams. But as it was, I can't help but admit I enjoyed seeing the Belgian team mocking Trump's stupid YMCA dance when they won, and the way their social media team mocked Trump after they crushed the US team yesterday. How can you not root for that?
It's fun to root for the underdog...the Cinderella team. It's all just nothing important regardless of how the kids want to frame that way...no sign that these kids are going to leave the US en masse and leave us without a base of taxpayers.
It's fun to root for the underdog...the Cinderella team. It's all just nothing important...no sign that these kids are going to leave the US en masse and leave us without a base of taxpayers.
I've followed the USMNT for most of my adult life, and it's one of the few ways I will actively express my pride in my nation in the age of Trump.
Reading some of the reasons that people aren't supporting the US makes me role my eyes. Read even a little bit about this team and you'll realize that the team itself represents the BEST of our country.
There are the sons of servicemen who learned the game while the lived overseas.
There are sons of immigrants who moved to the US for a better life.
There are dual nationals who could have played somewhere else, but chose to represent the Stars and Stripes.
There are players who are representing the US in leagues all over the world.
I like this team precisely because they are so much more diverse and open to the international world than some of our other sports. The team is not the presidential administration.
Gen Xer here who also found joy in rooting against the USA. I no longer have a major rooting interest in the tournament, because previously I was simply rooting for whoever was playing against the USA in a given game. Now that we lost in a humiliating fashion after our embarrassing and corrupt leader put his thumb on the scales, I'll just watch and hope for good games. But it was pretty satisfying seeing us get our asses handed to us by a country with a small fraction of our size and population. We didn't belong on the same pitch with those guys, and in hindsight, anyone who thought we had a shot at winning this thing was rather foolish.
Stranger things have happened. Trump wasn’t supposed to win the 2016. Clinton was way ahead. It was a long shot bet for him, but sometimes the long shot wins.
Was this on their way to chic-fil-a or starbucks, or after while they enjoyed the food and drink in their big cars, with the ac blasting while thumbing thru their phones...
Ok boomer.
ha -- but not a boomer.
My problem with rooting for the US teams in these international competitions this year (this and the winter Olympics) has been the way Trump has inserted himself into everything. As such, I just knew if the US team won the World Cup, Trump would be there hoisting the trophy. Hell, he might have just decided to keep it for himself in the Oval Office (and then have it transferred to his "presidential library" after he left office, or whatever).
If it's something that could end up looking good for Trump, whatever it is, I can't help but root against it. I had this vague feeling before the US men's hockey team won the gold in Italy this year, and all the celebrations with Kash Patel and the phone call with Trump, the way he invited the team to his SOTU speech, etc, it all just put me off.
If Trump was able to not insert himself into things like this, it would be a lot easier to support the US teams. But as it was, I can't help but admit I enjoyed seeing the Belgian team mocking Trump's stupid YMCA dance when they won, and the way their social media team mocked Trump after they crushed the US team yesterday. How can you not root for that?
It's fun to root for the underdog...the Cinderella team. It's all just nothing important regardless of how the kids want to frame that way...no sign that these kids are going to leave the US en masse and leave us without a base of taxpayers.
It's fun to root for the underdog...the Cinderella team. It's all just nothing important...no sign that these kids are going to leave the US en masse and leave us without a base of taxpayers.
Not real fans so who cares?