The United States’ Men’s National team played Mexico in a match last night, in which the US took a 3-0 victory, but that wasn’t the biggest story of the game. One would think that in a ninety-minute match filled with both goals and redcards, the headlines would’ve been all about the straight up brawls that took place on the field, but you’d be wrong. The biggest news was that the crowd at the game would not stop screaming “anti-gay slurs.” During the 89th minute of the game, one of the referees stopped play to try and get the crowd under control, but the second the game started up again, he just decided to chalk the remaining minute and stoppage time and end the game over the anti-gay chants.
There were four total red cards in the game, and several skirmishes on the field. AFter the game, Christian Pulisic said, “It was a mess, but I was disappointed in the end. I really wish some of our guys kept their heads a little bit better. It just turned into something that wasn’t this beautiful game that we love.”
Goalkeeper Matt Turner also spoke on the matter, focusing more on the chants against groups that are currently celebrating their month, saying, “We’ve been very vocal and open about the strength of our team being our diversity, the strength of our nation being its diversity. So, to use something so divisive during a game, a spirited game — and maybe the play sort of set the flares off in the stands, but it has no place in the game.”
Truthfully, calling a game like that is soft. Whatever your thoughts are on what the crowd was chanting, it’s kind of sad to have to stop a whole game for it. Sure, the outcome wasn’t affected, but letting fans dictate when a game ends is just pathetic. That’s why soccer will never be as big a sport in America. If a referee tried to end an Eagles game early because of stuff the crowd was saying, he’d leave Lincoln Financial Field in a body bag.
