Patriotism isn’t dead in the sports world.
Charlotte F.C., Major League Soccer’s newest franchise, hosted their inaugural home match against the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday, with roughly 75,000 fans in attendance. Unfortunately, the pregame ceremony did not go fully as planned.
A technical glitch caused the mic to cut out in the middle of Michelle Brooks-Thompson’s rendition of the national anthem, but the fans in attendance more than made up for the lack of a professional singer leading the way.
Thousands of voices rang out to finish “The Star-Spangled Banner,” filling the stadium and the night sky with a thundering chorus that will make you want to run through a brick wall:
75,000 fans in Charlotte, North Carolina for the 1st home match in @CharlotteFC history.
— Stu Holden (@stuholden) March 6, 2022
What an incredible moment for @MLS and for American Soccer! The 2nd largest crowd on the planet this year.
Soccer won’t make it in America 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/toxV0QoP0s
Unfortunately for the home side, the Galaxy took the victory with a final score of 1-0. Despite the unfavorable result, not everything about the night was deemed a loss.
“Of course we play football because we want to win, but today I believe that I am the happiest coach in the world. It was amazing,” Charlotte head Coach Miguel Ángel Ramírez said. “I cannot describe in words the energy, and I would like to thank everyone that joined us in this party, because it was a party.”
Related: Home of the Brave: Islanders Fans Help Singer with Moving National Anthem Rendition
Bring back more of this, please. Bring back fans and teams that are proud to be American and are not ashamed to show it. Bring back a sports culture where we can all be unified around our love for the game and our unity and not worry about what toxic social justice agenda will come up next.