I was in Italy when the won wc2006 and fell in love with their national team and Milan haha. So my list 1. Italy 2. Holland 3. Japan
I suppose Poland. My roots are Polish, so if they're in the Euros I'll cheer for them, but I never go out of my way to watch them. I'm USA through and through.
Ohh...it's close, but this is a third for me. I would say England, they won me over during Euro 96, and WC1998.
Ohh.. that's unacceptable, very unAmerican! JK, if my parents' homeland was good at soccer I would root for them too (probably not as much as the US but extremely close too), I think it's hard for people that aren't closely linked immigrant roots to understand that it is possible to love two countries, especially when it comes to sports.
I did! Became a big Feyenoord fan in those days. Larssen was so good for so long, it's kind of a shame it took til he was with Rangers to be really appreciated. And, then, only briefly. The other players I remember from that team (excuse my spelling) were Ed De Gooey (pronounced "De Hoy"), who ended up playing keeper for a bit. Jurgen? Kiprich, a big Hungarian enforcer. And Reggie Blinka, a speedy winger type. Those were fun days. F-noord were on tv seemingly every week. And, 1st regular exposure to high level club soccer. Larrsen will always be one of my favorite players.
Ya, used to be a big Holland fan, but DeJong's thuggary, Robben's diving definitely cooled me on them. Those Bergkamp era teams were great to watch, though. Kluivert, Davids, Bergie, the DeBoer's. And, when Overmars was healthy, he was a terror.
I knew plenty had to but were just trying to act like snobs. Like, "only the EPL was good enough for me." Larsson was a dynamo. He did look like a girl, however. De Goey seemed like a superhero. He regularly made full stretch, diving saves. The top keepers in that league at the time were bosses - De Goey, Van Der Sar, and Waterreus. I didn't really remember future standouts on lesser teams like Ruud Van Nistelrooy. You pretty much had to be on the top 3 - Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord - to stand out. Twente and Vitesse had their moments. But it was even more of a top heavy league than it is now. Almost all of Ajax's roster resonated with me - Litmanen, Blind, Bergkamp, Overmars, the De Boers, Kanu, Kluivert, Davids, Seedorf, George, Reiziger, Rijkaard, Bogarde, Van Der Sar, etc. Incredible talent and cohesion. One of the best squads all-time.
Ya, Clarence and Frank, when I was listing the great Holland players from that era, forgot them. Reiziger, didn't mention, cause he kinda ok. Ol' Winston Bogarde ..... your shaking my synapse's. I thought about Kanu today when it was mentioned that Portsmouth is now in L2. Who was George? Jari Litmanen was another guy that was just fantastic. Ya, that Ajax team is probably my all-time favorite when you compile the list of players. But, I pulled for F-noord, because I'm a underdog guy. It was amazing to me that it took so long for VdS to be picked up by a big team.
USA Costa Rica - Loved the country after visiting, and have rooted for their national team ever since Jamaica - I've rooted for the country (and its national team) for years...not sure why, but I'm just a fan. Sweden - I have Swedish heritage If I had to round out a top-5, I suppose I would pick Canada. But really, the aforementioned 4 teams are the only ones I proactively root for. And while I don't actively follow any of them, I do also like to see the Caribbean minnows (Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, etc.) do well.
Germany. I was a kid visiting family in Germany in 1974. Watched many Cup games on TV, can still remember the singing late into the night on small local streets when they won, and I memorized the Germany roster. Beckenbauer was my favorite player and I was thrilled when he joined the Cosmos and I could go and watch him live. So, USA is first now. But Germany taught me to love the game and are my #2 today.
Indeed they were fun. Arsenal was really fun club to watch in the early Arsene Wenger days with Bergkamp and Overmars as well. I had an Overmars Arsenal jersey from the late 90s; I wish I could find it.
I almost bought an Overmars Holland jersey on e-bay. Should have. And, I agree about Arsenal. All those guys + Henry.
usa soccer, is my most favorite team in all of sports because my parents are from Greece and have family there, i also follow and root for them they are currently at a super low point lost to the Faroe Islands i get some pleasure when Turkey, FYROM and Mexico lose for whatever reason, i have enjoyed watching Scotland the last few years
I remember Reiziger as a really athletic back who could aid the attack too. He ended up moving on to Barca and featured for them for a long time, so you know he could play. In fact much of that Ajax wonder team ended up re-forming Barcas, i.e.: Kluivert, the De Boers, Reiziger, and Bogarde. Plus you had a few more Dutchmen on there. And Rivaldo was my favorite player with the slickness and long distance bicycle kicks. So I loved that era of Barca football. Some of the players ended up moving on to Arsenal. I don't remember why, because they played attractive football, but I had an aversion to them still. Maybe it's because I'm often inclined to root for the underdog too, and they were the bosses of the Premier League at that point. At least Ajax could be underdogs in European football in terms of resources, even though they overcame at the time. Or it could have been the pompous Frenchmen.
A close second for me is Hungary. Although I have a number of other teams I tend to root for but not really go out of my way to watch; Ireland, Scotland, Philippines, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Haiti, Suriname, Colombia, Cameroon. Jozsef Kiprich
For me: 1. USA 2. Brazil 3. Portugal (big fan of Eusebio) 4. Holland (down some with Robben's diving) 5. Uruguay (down some with Suarez's biting, was a huge Forlan fan) I also root heavily for CONCACAF teams in World Cup years.
serie a was my first exposure to club football, decided roma would be my team cause i liked their colors (this is @92, 93) so i guess im italy friendly. but im a us supporter. still follow roma, but my support follows us internationals regardless of club.
I'm Canadian, but I've been a USMNT fan since the early 90s when they were the only regionally and culturally relevant national side and I spend a decent chunk of time there every year to visit family. The diehards wave their finger against supporting the US but it's a hell of a lot more enjoyable being a part of something than missing out every year. My actual country of origin is so irrelevant in terms of football (mid 100s FIFA rankings, though Canada comes close) that it's not worth mentioning so the US is all I have. I don't judge, but unlike club teams I don't understanding cheering for countries you have zero peripheral connections with
After USA, I've been in connection with some Dutch relatives overseas, so I will go with Nederland as no 2. And the German in me will have me rooting for them as no 3. Brazil 2014 was a fun time. Not only USA getting out of the group ahead of Portugal, but Nederland/Germany combined outscored Spain/Brazil/Portugal combined 19-2 in head to head matches.
Half my family is from Argentina. I lived there for several years and my wife is from there, so I follow them almost as much as I follow the Nats. On the occasions where the US & Argentina face each other I definitely root for the US.
USA over everybody. As a kid I rooted for Italy cause I liked Roberto Baggio. I've rooted for holland because they were the best footballing side that hadn't won a World Cup but I've backed off some since there team is so unlikable now. Now I pretty much root for whoever has the most Arsenal players, so right now England, France, Germany. I've got some polish heritage so I root for them and whoever is playing Mexico.