SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Angel Ordaz stood outside Levi’s Stadium on Wednesday holding a flag that blended the symbols of two countries: the United States, where he built his life and raised his children, and Mexico, where his own story began.
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“The USA has been my life with my kids, but I am from Mexico,” said Angel, who attended the match with his sons Fabian and Luis. “This country has given me so much. My kids are very proud to be an American, too.”
On the way to the stadium, he said, he cried.
“My sons brought me over here,” Ordaz said. “This is one of my best dreams I’ve ever had. I was crying on my way over here. I can’t believe it.”
Just days before the Fourth of July, as the United States neared the 250th anniversary of its founding in a moment of deep political division, thousands of soccer fans streamed into Levi’s Stadium for a different kind of patriotic ritual: jerseys instead of bunting, chants instead of speeches and a shared sense of joy in a country many experience in complicated, deeply personal ways.
The United States defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2-0 to advance to the next stage of the FIFA World Cup. But outside the stadium, the night felt less tense than joyful, turning a high-stakes match into a Bay Area version of American pride: multiracial, immigrant-shaped and rooted less in ceremony than belonging.
“What is great about America is that it gets to show that all walks of life of people are from here or have a connection here,” San Jose resident Giancarlo Ochoa said as he waited for the gates to open.
Ochoa was clad in a USMNT jersey, but he also wore a bandana with the Mexican flag.
“If you look at the crowd right now, you see different races and ethnicities,” he said. “This shows exactly what America is all about. It’s a land of immigrants, and it shows that we can all get along.”
San Diego resident Margarita Campos also stood outside the stadium holding a flag with American and Mexican symbols.
“Most of us have different roots,” said Campos, who has Mexican heritage but was rooting for the United States. “When you are from the border, you are from both (countries).”
Berkeley resident Ryan Smith wore a bedazzled gold skipper cap and an American flag tied around his neck as the United States prepared to square off against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“It’s all love today,” he said. “No politics, just love. Everybody’s out having a good time.
“We have amazing people here,” Smith added. “We’re happy to have everybody from elsewhere in the world.”
Fans of both teams traded chants and lighthearted razzing as their light-rail train neared the stadium.
Then one Bosnia fan cut through the noise.
“I love you guys no matter what,” he called out to the U.S. fans around him.
About a mile east of the stadium and some four hours before the game, the American Outlaws, a major fan group supporting the USMNT, gathered fans before a planned march to Levi’s Stadium.
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Standing in a nondescript parking lot, they were hard to miss, clad in every combination of red, white and blue. Many wore the current version of the team’s jersey. Others got more creative and donned patriotic costumes, including Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty.
Dressed as George Washington, Michigan resident Jason Luttrell said he grabbed his tickets hoping the United States would win Group D, putting the team in the knockout round and sending U.S. fans to Wednesday’s game in the South Bay.
“These could have been Australia tickets, Paraguay tickets, so fortunately the boys came through, and I said, ‘We gotta dress up,’ ” he said. “This is a big deal. It’s close to the Fourth of July.”
While many fans arriving at the stadium were clearly rooting for the United States, a few represented Bosnia and Herzegovina. There were also some people wearing Mexico’s colors. When asked about the game, several said they were rooting for the USMNT but a handful — some wearing mischievous smiles — said they wanted Bosnia to win.
Bino Karaman, who was born in Bosnia but now lives in Illinois, wore the jersey of his home country’s team.
“Both of these are my country, so I can’t lose today,” Karaman said. “I can only win.”
Georgia resident Pavan Put came to the game dressed from head to toe in the stars and stripes. Put said he loved his country and hoped to see the USMNT advance to the next round.
“It’s the country I grew up in, there’s nowhere else I could really imagine myself being, and it makes me proud to be there,” Put said. “Hopefully, we prove the doubters wrong and I’m hoping to see it in person.”
Linda Williams, who lives next to the stadium and backed its construction years ago, said she has enjoyed watching fans march from Clara’s Junction, a local sports bar, to the Bay Area’s temporary soccer shrine.
“It’s very encouraging to see people from all over the world getting along and not creating any problems,” Williams said.
The fans “have been awesome” and “actually seem to be better at not leaving their trash behind,” she added. “Usually, after an NFL game, there are cans, bottles and trash strewn all over.”
Williams said the World Cup games have helped bring people together at a time when the country is politically divided.
“It just shows that the majority of the world are really good people that just want to have a good time and enjoy the sport they love the most,” she said.
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