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Earlier this morning, in the build-up to today’s England against United States friendly at Wembley (live on ESPN Classic beginning at 3pm ET), I wrote about <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/england-vs-usa-why-americans-hate-english-football-supporters/2192">why Americans hate English soccer supporters</a>. To be fair, there are a lot reasons why Brits hate U.S. soccer supporters as well, which are revealed below:
<ol>
<li>Soccer fans in the USA continuously brag how U.S. soccer has improved both on the national and club levels, but when the United States faces tough opposition, the national squad and club teams fail to live up to expectations. Recent examples include the 2006 World Cup, 2007 Copa America and SuperLiga.The last time the U.S. soccer team impressed people and pundits internationally was during the 2002 World Cup when the side beat Portugal and unfairly lost to Germany 1-0 in the quarterfinals. But that was six long years ago!</li>
<li>When U.S. soccer fans call Brits and Anglophiles “Euro Snobs,” those same U.S. soccer fans are in fact being snobbish themselves.</li>
<li>George Gillett and Tom Hicks. Enough said.</li>
<li>Alexi Lalas — because of the stupid things he says.</li>
<li>Americans who insist on getting into preposterous debates about how Major League Soccer teams would rank in England and how some of the teams would do well in the Premier League. It’s preposterous because it’s all guesswork. Judging how a MLS team does in a friendly against English opposition and then equating that to how the American side would compete in England is ridiculous. Wake me up when a game between an American club side and an English side means something, when both teams are playing for a win or a trophy. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time.</li>
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While this afternoon’s friendly between the United States and England has little meaning on the international level, a lot of pride is at stake. If England loses, their fans will chalk it up to a meaningless friendly. If England wins, their fans will drag the U.S. supporters through the mud and laugh about how they still reign supreme. Most importantly for the U.S. is that they give a good performance at Wembley where they can earn the accolades of the watching press, media and the public at large. It’s more important than ever for the U.S. to put in a performance that’ll make their supporters proud.

England v U.S.: Why Brits Hate U.S. Soccer Fans - World Soccer Talk

England v U.S.: Why Brits Hate U.S. Soccer Fans

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Later this evening, the United States will play England at Wembley (8pm BST/BBC1) in a friendly match between two countries who have a love-hate relationship with each other. But in this war, the battle is waged off the pitch rather than on it.
On the pitch, the competition between the two sides is waged fairly. The American players who play in the Premier League will have more of a desire to win the match so they can rub it into the faces of their English compatriots. The English players will have a lot to prove to new manager Fabio Capello, so overall the match should be entertaining to watch as long as it remains competitive. Most importantly, it’ll be played in a clean manner.
Off the pitch, it’s a different story. Being an American who lived in Britain for 14 years, I’ve experienced the complicated love-hate relationship between both countries. There are so many Anglophiles who live in the United States and love the English way of life (the football, the beer, the fish and chips, music, TV shows, movies and royalty). And there are many Brits who love the American way of life (the TV shows, movies, rap artists, fashion, fast food and gadgets such as Apple’s iPod).
But right in the middle of all of this is also a relationship of hate, which isn’t felt by everyone but definitely exists. It’s part politics and part football. And, without a doubt, it’s more fierce off the pitch than on it.
Politically speaking, George Bush’s shock and awe policy in Iraq has generated a lot of negativity among people around the world which is aimed at the United States. Of course, Britain was America’s biggest ally in the war against Saddam Hussein, so it shouldn’t feel exonerated. But the war has created a bitter taste in the mouths of so many people worldwide.
Part of that anti-Americanism has spilled over into football and specifically the Internet — whether it’s message boards, blog comments or articles by renowned journalists (Martin Samuel from The Times has been a prime target for U.S. fans because Samuel often harshly criticises U.S. football; It’s this feeling of general press bias that upsets many Americans). Some of the friction between football fans in the U.S. and U.K. has been downright venomous.
The battle off the pitch between U.S. and English football fans comes down to pride. English journalists, pundits and soccer fans have, for too long, looked down their noses at U.S. football whether it’s been the national squad or Major League Soccer. It’s an easy target for the Brits who make jokes about the “Mickey Mouse League” and tease Americans for inventing the word soccer to label the sport we love, when most of us intelligent people know that the term originated from England not the United States.
A lot of friction from Americans is because they’re sick and tired of their national team and clubs being made a joke. They feel that their country and its football teams should be respected more than they currently are, and that many of their football supporters are very well educated about the sport and not all of them fall into the trap of being stereotypical American males who are macho, dumb and eat and breathe the mindnumbingly boring NFL.
Many Americans feel that Brits are jealous of them and their way of life, that Brits are ignorant about the level of football in America and that Brits perceive themselves to be superior to Americans.
Of course, most of this is true. Whether Brits choose to admit it or not, the fact is that most people in the UK consume an American culture. Whether it’s the American TV shows on British television, the fast food culture of pizza and hamburgers, the American music you listen to on Radio 1 or and the American-influenced fashion that you wear, the British culture is morphing into the United States of England every day.
This hypocrisy is what infuriates many Americans. Brits consume American culture and respect it, but Brits don’t give football played by Americans the respect it deserves.
Thus sets the stage for the England against USA friendly scheduled for this evening. If you see the Americans playing with a style of zest and verve that is uncommon in friendly matches, now you know why. And if the U.S. can pull off a shock and beat England, expect to see a tirade of “I told you so” from Americans across the Internet in the days and weeks to come. This is something that American players and fans would love more than anything: To earn and receive the respect that they deserve.

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England v U.S.: Why Brits Hate U.S. Soccer Fans

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England vs USA: Why Americans Hate English Football Supporters

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