{"id":6159,"date":"2026-07-02T06:34:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T06:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6159"},"modified":"2026-07-02T06:34:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T06:34:51","slug":"at-us-world-cup-match-american-pride-wears-many-flags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6159","title":{"rendered":"At US World Cup match, American pride wears many flags"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 Angel Ordaz stood outside Levi\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe USA has been my life with my kids, but I am from Mexico,\u201d said Angel, who attended the match with his sons Fabian and Luis. \u201cThis country has given me so much. My kids are very proud to be an American, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the way to the stadium, he said, he cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sons brought me over here,\u201d Ordaz said. \u201cThis is one of my best dreams I\u2019ve ever had. I was crying on my way over here. I can\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat 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,\u201d San Jose resident Giancarlo Ochoa said as he waited for the gates to open.<\/p>\n

Ochoa was clad in a USMNT jersey, but he also wore a bandana with the Mexican flag.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at the crowd right now, you see different races and ethnicities,\u201d he said. \u201cThis shows exactly what America is all about. It\u2019s a land of immigrants, and it shows that we can all get along.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Diego resident Margarita Campos also stood outside the stadium holding a flag with American and Mexican symbols.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of us have different roots,\u201d said Campos, who has Mexican heritage but was rooting for the United States. \u201cWhen you are from the border, you are from both (countries).\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all love today,\u201d he said. \u201cNo politics, just love. Everybody\u2019s out having a good time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have amazing people here,\u201d Smith added. \u201cWe\u2019re happy to have everybody from elsewhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans of both teams traded chants and lighthearted razzing as their light-rail train neared the stadium.<\/p>\n

Then one Bosnia fan cut through the noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you guys no matter what,\u201d he called out to the U.S. fans around him.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Stadium.<\/p>\n

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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\u2019s jersey. Others got more creative and donned patriotic costumes, including Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s game in the South Bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese could have been Australia tickets, Paraguay tickets, so fortunately the boys came through, and I said, \u2018We gotta dress up,\u2019 \u201d he said. \u201cThis is a big deal. It\u2019s close to the Fourth of July.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s colors. When asked about the game, several said they were rooting for the USMNT but a handful \u2014 some wearing mischievous smiles \u2014 said they wanted Bosnia to win.<\/p>\n

Bino Karaman, who was born in Bosnia but now lives in Illinois, wore the jersey of his home country\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth of these are my country, so I can\u2019t lose today,\u201d Karaman said. \u201cI can only win.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the country I grew up in, there\u2019s nowhere else I could really imagine myself being, and it makes me proud to be there,\u201d Put said. \u201cHopefully, we prove the doubters wrong and I\u2019m hoping to see it in person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda Williams, who lives next to the stadium and backed its construction years ago, said she has enjoyed watching fans march from Clara\u2019s Junction, a local sports bar, to the Bay Area\u2019s temporary soccer shrine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very encouraging to see people from all over the world getting along and not creating any problems,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

The fans \u201chave been awesome\u201d and \u201cactually seem to be better at not leaving their trash behind,\u201d she added. \u201cUsually, after an NFL game, there are cans, bottles and trash strewn all over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams said the World Cup games have helped bring people together at a time when the country is politically divided.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Read more Magic sign 2nd-round pick Nelson, bring back Castleton on two-way deals<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ahead of holiday weekend, World Cup match brings out the red, white and blue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nAt US World Cup match, American pride wears many flags - 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=6159\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"At US World Cup match, American pride wears many flags - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ahead of holiday weekend, World Cup match brings out the red, white and blue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6159\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T06:34:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6159#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6159\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"At US World Cup match, American pride wears many flags\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T06:34:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6159\"},\"wordCount\":1008,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6159#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/0633c5e2448807f3ea66b8274ca39467.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Soccer\",\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6159#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6159\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=6159\",\"name\":\"At US World Cup match, American pride wears many flags - 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