American soccer fans have again come under fire for what critics describe as “cringey” World Cup chants — and this time, the criticism is coming from some of the country’s biggest sporting names.
One group of US supporters recently drew viral attention for a chant many viewers mocked as overly polite, singing in a calm, almost cheerful tone: “We support the US, the US, the US, and that’s the way we like it, we like it, we love it!”
The reaction has reinforced a long-running stereotype around American soccer culture, even as the sport continues to grow rapidly in the United States, where many still refer to it as “soccer.”
Among those weighing in were NFL brothers Jason and Travis Kelce, who discussed the issue on their New Heights podcast. Travis, who is set to marry Taylor Swift next month, joined in the criticism of the fan chants.
Recalling his own experience at a match, Jason Kelce took particular aim at one well-known US chant, saying: “‘I believe that we can win’ is the most loser-mentality chant I have ever heard. What are we here for?”
USA fans at the World Cup are being mocked for their tame chants by foreign rivals
American supporters’ chants do not have the same invention or offensiveness compared to European counterparts
Boisterous Scotland fans have been among the Europeans grabbing the attention in the US
Australians down beer from their shoes during their opening match against Turkey
He went on to slam the slogan even more bluntly, adding: “It’s just a weird f****** chant. It needs to be: ‘I believe that we can f*** you up.’”
Other chants that are widely panned include simple encouragements such as ‘go team!’ or ‘de-fence, de-fence!’
By contrast, you get fans north of the border roaring out The Flower of Scotland, Icelandic people with their Viking Thunder Clap (though not at this World Cup), or continental European fans taking over cities with their marches.
Critics of the Americans point to the notoriously offensive chanting of some England supporters, showing how weak the US songs are in comparison.
Fans of the Three Lions sang ‘Kier Starmer’s a w***er’ during their warm-up game in Orlando last week and continue to sing about shooting down ’10 German bombers’ to the tune of ‘She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain’ – despite their manager Thomas Tuchel being from Germany.
American sports fans have weighed in online and admitted defeat, at least so far.
One wrote on X: ‘Dear Americans going to a US World Cup match: please, please, please sing our anthem like these proud Scots.’
Another said: ‘American sports are amazing, but our European friends absolutely kick our butts w/ their chants, cheers & songs.’
One commented: ‘Americans: we need a bigger crowd choral repertoire. “Sweet Caroline” and the Star Spangled Banner are great, but not sufficient.’
All three were sharing their thoughts after watching Scotland fans belt out their anthems in Foxborough before their 1-0 win against Haiti.
Major League Soccer, the nation’s premier football division, has made impressive strides with fan culture in recent seasons.
Netherlands supporters put on an incredible display with their chanting and dancing in Texas
Scotland fans have been packing pubs in Boston and wowing observers with their chants
MLS games are often louder than a European fan might expect, and sometimes have extraordinary tifos on display.
However, whereas European teams have ‘ultras’ who make lots of the noise, and often bring toxic behaviour, American clubs rely more on official supporter groups which congregate in dedicated standing sections.
At a national level, the chants can become more generic and lead to their supporters being perceived as, well, corny.
One viewer summed up on X: ‘American chants are the cringiest thing ever.’
‘More atmosphere in GCSE exams,’ another said.
‘The purpose of the chants is to demoralise the opponents, not your own team,’ came one withering comment.
‘And the crowd goes mild,’ one said.
A Boston Red Sox baseball fan was amazed to see the level of passion that Scottish people brought on a trip to see their match against the Texas Rangers.
He called it ‘the greatest Fenway game’ in years as he shared beers with a Scot.
Meanwhile, the army of Scottish supporters sang and danced in unison as Mr Brightside by The Killers was blasted out at the stadium.
An estimated 5,000 fans took part in a march from the Evans Way Park to the baseball ground as the Red Sox put on ‘Scotland Day’, clearly hoping to cash in on the zeal of the Tartan Army.
