Back from Seattle, head and liver recovering, thank you very much. In a few threads I have seen, upon returning, I see where some US fans are speaking out against wearing any club jerseys to US games. Instead, they would prefer all fans wearing only US attire. I would like to speak to that. I wore my Earthquakes jersey to Seattle along with my US flag draped over my shoulders like a long scarf. I own many US jerseys dating back to the '94 WC, and I have a US scarf from a few years back (although I would have loved to have gotten one of those US vs. Panama scarves that people were wearing at the stadium!). I have worn my US flag to every US game I have attended including many, many, many Mexican-Hispanic cantinas and taquerias that have shown US games vs. Hispanic teams on television. Anyway, I chose to wear my Quakes jersey to Seattle and I'm still glad I did for these reasons: 1. At Fuels, six hours before the game, I got into more than a few conversations with other MLS fans, some of whom were wearing Sounders' jerseys. There was a lot of good-natured ribbing, jokes and words of respect for each others' support of their club team. There were some story swapping, questions about Yallop's dismissal, and a few rounds bought for each other. I wore my Quakes' jersey with a small idea of bridge building and I did not come away disappointed. I'm way more of a lover than a fighter anyway and I have been a club soccer fan going back to the NASL days so I very much respect the club support of all of the Pacific Northwest teams (Sounders, Timbers and Whitecaps). 2. On the bridge-building aspect, I believe it to be a strong showing a solidarity for the US team (men or women) when rival club fans can get together, drink together, share game-attending stories together and cheer on the Red, White, and Blue together. I have been attending US games since the '84 Olympics and have been to my share of WC matches, WCQers, Gold Cup and US Cup games and friendlies. Since 1991, there have not been too many US men's or women's games on the West Coast (Cal-Ore-Wa) that I have missed in person. I have always enjoyed interacting with fans from other club teams and other nations. (There was a lot of shirt swapping amongst fans in the stands at the '94 WC. The funniest I think I saw was a 5'3' Colombian trading jerseys with a BIG, burly Russian at the Rose Bowl!). 3. The crowd in Seattle, as many have pointed out, was probably the best pro-US soccer crowd in its history of WCQers in this country. A portion of that crowd came from outside Seattle (Portland, California, etc.). Wearing my Quakes jersey (with the implication that I came from NorCal) told the US team that I care for them enough to make a 28-hour round trip drive (or, as others did, spent the money to fly in from distant parts). 4. A few posters, speaking against the idea of wearing club jerseys to US games, wrote that no Sounders' jerseys were spotted at the stadium. I saw a lot of Sounders' jerseys being worn at the stadium. More power to 'em is my feeling! (The last actual time I had attended a Sounder's home game was in 1979 or 1980. . .vs. the Cosmos. . .at the Kingdome!). Fans in Sounders' jerseys were also sporting red/white/blue scarves, face paint, hats, etc. Anyway, a few friends and I have a couple of days to recover before heading up to SLC next Tuesday. Only this time, we'll be driving to Reno and taking Amtrak from there to SLC. I'll be wearing my Quakes jersey again. I hope, and expect, to engage with many RSL fans (my first time there), cheer on the US team for a third staight victory and I'll buy a beer for anyone that wants one! In Seattle, I went for the Ranier, what's your pleasure in Salt Lake?
I don't have a problem with it at all. F___ those people who do! MLS is American. MLS does represent the national team. To a lesser degree, I really don't mind US fans wearing a Spurs jersey with Dempsey 2 or a Schalke Jones 13 as I saw at the Denver and D.C. matches -- provided the jersey reps American players. I do have a problem with seeing people decked out in Man United, Chelsea, Chivas, Club America, Real Madrid, Barcelona kits, etc. every week at Rapids games or many other MLS stadiums I've ben lucky enough to travel to. It just rubs me the wrong way. Lord knows I have enough Celtic FC gear to fill two walk-in closets but I would never, ever wear it to a Rapids or any other MLS game.
Are there really people speaking out against fans wearing MLS jerseys to a USMNT match? ******** those people. Supporting MLS is as patriotic as supporting the USMNT in my mind, and it takes a lot more patience and understanding. Kudos to you for making the trip, I think its awesome and I say keep wearing the Quakes jersey with pride.
I have no problem with it, though some people may think the colors matter (still irrelevant to an FCD fan). The first time I really started following soccer, my buddy and I went to the bar to watch the US-Ghana game in 2010. One of the guys at our table was wearing a DCU shirt. I kind of just assume it's par for the course now.
I for one was really pleased to see all those Sounders fans put aside their green for a day and wear the national colors, and I think we should all do the same. FWIW
And that's fair enough. I agree that it'd be better to wear US colors, but jerseys are expensive, and the scattered folks in club jerseys I don't think are too bad.
Sure they are. My Earthquakes jersey is from the Spartan Stadium days when Landon and DeRo formed a pairing (raise your hand if you remember those days first-hand), and I have only 3 national team jerseys even though there's a new one almost every year now.
This. I wouldn't have a negative opinion if it's a little bit of club gear that's domestic or US-relevant or mixes together with US articles that one is wearing. Helps identify where you're from. And I'm pleased to say I didn't see any Man U or Barca jersies at either the Sounders game or US game during my stay.
I don't care what jersey you wear, but you should wear NT colors. Obviously, going to a NT game most would wear red, so if you want to wear some green jersey which has nothing to do with our NT colors, I'd pour a beer on you and tell you to get with the program. Then my fiancee who's not even American would pour her beer on you, and tell you if I can wear NT colors and I'm not even American, you suck.
So you're saying they could wear a Chivas Guadalajara jersey but not a Timbers home jersey? Got it. I don't know why people even care at all about this. These people are paying money to support our federation and our team and are sometimes travelling long distances to do so...while wearing a jersey that supports a club in our growing domestic league and somehow they are to be criticized for that? Pretty ridiculous.
I think you're taking this way too seriously. Why do you care? Yes I think fans should wear our freaking NT colors when showing up. But the rest I said was about as serious as I take this thread. Who the hell cares? Wear whatever the hell you want, but it's my right to role my eyes if you're not wearing NT colors, just as it's your right to go on and on about supporting the domestic league.
Wait...I'm the one who is saying it doesn't matter what anyone wears because either way you're supporting the team, and you were the one saying that you should "wear NT colors" and you're asking me why I care? Ok jond. By the way, its ROLL your eyes, not role.
It has bothered me a few times seeing US fans wearing the other team's colors, like wearing a Chelsea shirt to a US-Guatemala game or a Liverpool shirt to a US-Trinidad game.
Well yeah I can see how doing THAT could bother some people, but in the case of the OP I think he was solely talking about wearing MLS jerseys, and generally not ones that match the colors of the opposition.
Wearing a Barcelona shirt to a NT jersey is pretty funny. But what if someone wore the jersey of a 2nd division Albanian club? Surely that could not annoy anyone
One of my friends wore a Liverpool jersey to the 07 Gold Cup final in Chicago. The 'visiting' US supporters marched through the parking lot to parade through all the Mexico fans. Fun stuff, really, everyone on both sides had fun with it. Anyway..... One of the Mexican dudes saw his shirt and said "Liverpool? You wanker". Had me bustin' my gut.
Sorry man - but wearing a club jersey to a US qualifier is definitely a junior varsity move, IMHO. "We're not the red states of America or the blue states of America...". Why not celebrate what we have in common vs what separates us? Just seems to me that your need for expressing your uniqueness and originality is more important that expressing unity and support. It doesn't always have to be about YOU.
BOOM!!! Nailed it!! When I ask them why they've decided to wear club gear to a NATS game and I get the "I want to stand out" answer, well... you DO actually stand out as the DOUCHE BAG that wears club gear!! "Jerseys are expensive!" Really? that's what we're going with!? Well nobody is asking you to wear an authentic US Soccer jersey! A plain red shirt runs you less then $10, even less at your local Goodwill... Is it really that tough to leave your club kit at home for one day? ONE DAY!? GO USA!!!