The 6 soccer fans you are most likely to meet

MLS fans

Their fandom was borne from a genuine grassroots movement. There was no bandwagon to jump on and no real glory to seek out. Their support is a manifestation of local pride rather than a quest to experience the best soccer product available. To use another food culture analogy, MLS fans are the localvores of soccer fandom. They will diligently consume each season’s crop whenever that season is upon them, whenever the fruits are ripe, regardless of looks or taste. They are the pioneers of a genuine soccer culture in the U.S. Due to the inherent lack of tradition and history, the MLS fan has a blank slate to work with. Appropriation of time-tested fan rituals, such as tifo, is encouraged.

Even though they may be the polar opposites of Anglophiles in terms of motives and background, their fandom rituals often overlap, and they end up sharing more with the Anglophiles than they would like to admit. There is a significant English influence exerted over MLS types, who take their cues from Premier League fans in terms of chants and pregame rituals.

As a general rule of thumb, MLS fans tend to be much more supportive of the U.S. national team than all other fan types, as they see the USMNT as both an extension of and reflection of the local soccer played in the domestic league, especially with the vast majority of the U.S. team plying their trade domestically. His favorite words in the Spanish language are dos and cero. Hates Mexico. Show some interest in a potential trip to Russia and you may have a friend for life.