{"id":3978,"date":"2026-06-13T07:34:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T07:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3978"},"modified":"2026-06-13T07:34:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T07:34:48","slug":"roaring-crowds-in-stars-and-stripes-show-up-for-the-us-team-and-soccers-moment-in-their-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3978","title":{"rendered":"Roaring crowds in stars and stripes show up for the US team, and soccer\u2019s moment in their country"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By AMY TAXIN and JAIMIE DING<\/p>\n

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) \u2014 It was a stadium like any other, packed with American sports fans wearing their favorite team\u2019s jerseys and red-white-and-blue face paint, roaring as players took the field.<\/p>\n

Read more US rocks Los Angeles Stadium in World Cup opener<\/a><\/p>\n

Only this time, the sport was soccer.<\/p>\n

The U.S. team\u2019s home opener in the World Cup on Friday brought 70,492 passionate soccer enthusiasts to the massive stadium near Los Angeles, where they saw the U.S. beat Paraguay 4-1. They had, in many cases, paid thousands of dollars to see their team play on the biggest global stage for a sport that has long been eclipsed in the United States \u2014 a sport many say is finally having its moment.<\/p>\n

Many fans said they grew up playing soccer in recreational leagues as young children, and well into high school and college. Nakisha Gutierrez, a 37-year-old occupational therapist from Los Angeles, and her sister both played the sport. Their Argentine father raised them on soccer, and the next generation is now taking it up, too, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s in the family blood,\u201d said Gutierrez, her cheeks painted with sparkling red-and-blue stars. \u201cIt is the American culture \u2014 it\u2019s starting to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The World Cup is played every four years, and fans around the world track their national teams, hoping they\u2019ll have a strong enough showing to qualify for it. In many countries \u2014 like Friday\u2019s opponent, Paraguay \u2014 just making it to the tournament can prompt street parties, fireworks and national holidays. In the United States, though, the response is often a bit more muted. Soccer has long been overshadowed by football, basketball and \u201cAmerica\u2019s pastime\u201d of baseball.<\/p>\n

But soccer\u2019s popularity has risen in the United States since the country last hosted the World Cup in 1994. Major League Soccer was launched two years later, and soccer has become especially popular among young athletes. Interest has also been buoyed by immigrants from countries where, as Gutierrez puts it, \u201csoccer is life.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ava Cupit, 14, traveled with her family from Franklin, Tennessee, to cheer on the U.S. team, dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. Her great-grandfather was from Spain and helped bring soccer to their small town, where he built fields and promoted the sport.<\/p>\n

Read more USMNT opens its home World Cup with dominant victory over Paraguay<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe made us all fall in love with it, and our whole family loves soccer,\u201d Ava\u2019s mother Rachel Cupit said. \u201cThe people who\u2019ve married in, they\u2019ve just become a part of it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Self-proclaimed soccer \u201caddict\u201d Jose Contreras said he grew up playing the sport with his uncle in Mexico because it was cheap and accessible. He flew from Georgia to support the U.S. in its opening match, even though there are games he could attend in Atlanta, closer to home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the happiest days of my life,\u201d Contreras said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In the massive stadium in Inglewood, California, usually home to football games, the stands thundered with the roar of fans. Seats were a sea of red and white. Fans wore glitter, Stars-and-Stripes high-tops, overalls, robes and the team\u2019s hallmark jerseys. Some dressed as that ultimate symbol of American patriotism, Uncle Sam, with long white beards and top hats. A few wore George Washington costumes.<\/p>\n

They came to show their support for their team, and to show that Americans, like the rest of the world, can be passionate about soccer, too. Many were trying to attend all of the U.S. team\u2019s group round matches. One spectator said he came from Texas after seeing the U.S. team previously face off in international matches before large crowds backing their opponents.<\/p>\n

Hector Garcia, 63, said he was at his sixth World Cup. He thinks the U.S. team is the best it\u2019s been, and that the players will be energized seeing so many fans dressed in the Stars and Stripes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is World Cup atmosphere,\u201d he said, \u201cand I think this is really going to lift their spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Daily Horoscope for June 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By AMY TAXIN and JAIMIE DING INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) \u2014 It was a stadium like any other, packed with American sports fans wearing their favorite team\u2019s jerseys and red-white-and-blue face paint, roaring as players took the field. Only this time, the sport was soccer. The U.S. team\u2019s home opener in the World Cup against Paraguay [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,6,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sports","category-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nRoaring crowds in stars and stripes show up for the US team, and soccer\u2019s moment in their country - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3978\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Roaring crowds in stars and stripes show up for the US team, and soccer\u2019s moment in their country - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By AMY TAXIN and JAIMIE DING INGLEWOOD, Calif. 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