Team USA men’s soccer team suffered an Olympic-ending loss to Morocco on Friday, 4-0.
While such a resounding defeat may have come as a shock to those watching the game on television, for those of us at the stadium, it wasn’t a surprise at all.
What tipped us off? The Moroccan fans.
The premonitions started even as we entered the Parc des Princes stadium, the home of Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain. Fans dressed in the red and green jerseys of Morocco and carrying flags lined the walkways, begging for any extra tickets so they could root for their team. This tactic appeared to have worked as the stands were filled with their roars.
As the national anthems played, Morocco fans shouted theirs enthusiastically while the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner" felt like it was barely whisper.
The Moroccan cheers from the stands continued as the game started. They weren’t your typical American fan cheers. There were no singing classic songs like “Sweet Caroline” or “Seven Nation Army," nor were they just chanting Morocco mindlessly. No, these were call and response time cheers across the stadium that seemed more complex than any seen back in the States.
Between passes, each fan made a siren-like sound as the ball left and landed. With every foul from the Americans, the team made loud booing sounds and guffaws that drowned out the American cheers.
You could hear scattered cheers of “USA” and a couple of American flags waving, but because there weren't as many and they were so much quieter, you often couldn’t distinguish them from chants for Morocco.
Goal celebrations were accompanied with even louder roars. However, not all of the celebratory cheers were kosher per Olympic standards.
At times, fireworks that created colors and loud explosive sounds echoed throughout the stadium. As a result, an announcement was then made that these lighters were not allowed in the stadium and several fans were escorted out of the stadium.
Was it a little disheartening as an American fan to see our team lose and not even score a goal? Sure. Would we have lost anyway? Maybe.
One thing is certain - the stadium's cheers favored Morocco and it gave them an electric energy that spurred their team forward.
That being said, was it worth it to sit in the stadium and see the excitement of Moroccan fans? Absolutely!
