Even with games starting as early as two in the morning, fans are committed to seeing their countries compete. Here at USC, some students are going back to their roots and feel inspired by their countries playing in the tournament. Here’s USC senior Morgan Hill-Edgar.
Morgan Hill-Edgar: “Yes, I was definitely patriotic before. I have a lot of belief in America, but I’ve seen more U.S. jerseys pop out. I’ve seen a couple of soccer jerseys from the U.S. team and I haven’t seen that before.”
Students at USC are rooting for more than just the U.S, as you can spot people sporting jerseys on campus from all over the world. According to USC, international students make up almost a quarter of the student body. They represent countries from all over the world, many of which are competing in the World Cup.
Angelo Winnings: “My family’s from Ecuador, so I watched Ecuador play quite a bit. It’s kind of a family thing, you know, I grew up around it. So that was the team to go for.”
Not every country can qualify for the World Cup, but fans will still tune in and watch the games and choose another country to root for. that’s what graduate student Mahmoud Roshdy is doing.
Mahmoud Roshdy: “I’m from Egypt. Egypt is not in the World Cup, unfortunately, but in Egypt, football or soccer, as you call it here in the U.S., is an obsession.”
Roshdy has watched most of the matches so far and since he can’t root for Egypt he is rooting for the Arab teams He says his favorite part of the tournament is the comradery that comes from watching the games with everyone no matter what country they’re from. Roshdy recalls the atmosphere of watching past World Cups in different countries.
Mahmoud Roshdy: “People like sitting on chairs on a street, and watching the match in a cafe, on the TV, in a cafe. And everyone is shouting, everyone is speaking with each other. Everyone is talking about the World Cup. Who you support if your country is not in the competition like Greece or Italy or Egypt or Turkey, who will you support? Who is your favorite to win the cup?”
Many countries have already punched their tickets onto the knockout stages and are awaiting their opponents for the next round. The World Cup brings out patriotism that is seldom seen, and with the U.S playing again on Saturday, along with other top countries, USC students will gather again to cheer for their respective nations.