The USMNT may have opened its home 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a convincing 4-1 win over Paraguay, but Americans have continued to be mocked off the field.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy shared a video of a group of fans performing a “Jump for the USA” chant, which left him unimpressed. He described it as “brutal” and compared it to a poor imitation of “Links Rechts,” the iconic chant popularized by Netherlands supporters.
Dave Portnoy Slams USA Fans For ‘Poor Knockoff’ of Dutch Chant
Portnoy reacted to the viral video on X, taking aim at what he saw as a failed American attempt to imitate European soccer fan culture at the World Cup.
In the clip, a supporter encouraged fans to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with their neighbors and put their arms around each other before leading a repeated chant of: “Jump for the USA, ole! Ole! Jump for the USA, ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!”
The Barstool Sports founder was far from impressed. “This is brutal stuff for the USA,” Portnoy wrote. “Brutal chant, and even though I’ve only been a soccer guy for 7 minutes, I know this is a poor knockoff from the Netherlands.”
This is brutal stuff for the USA. Brutal chant and even though I’ve only been a soccer guy for 7 minutes I know this is a poor knockoff from the Netherlands pic.twitter.com/PXiBd77o5x
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 18, 2026
The chant Portnoy referenced traces its roots to “Links Rechts,” a 2015 song by Dutch party act Snollebollekes. The adapted version is built around the phrases “naar links” and “naar rechts” — meaning “to the left” and “to the right” — the chant sees supporters stand arm-in-arm before jumping in unison from side to side, creating a sea of orange wherever Dutch fans gather.
It exploded in popularity among the Netherlands supporters during Euro 2024 and has once again become one of the sights to behold at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s also the unofficial soccer anthem of the Oranje faithful.
The Dutch are fully invading Dallas as we speak pic.twitter.com/gP6hzDEJQA
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 14, 2026
While the United States continues to grow as a soccer nation, many of its most long-running recognizable chants — including “I Believe That We Will Win” and the familiar “U-S-A! U-S-A!” rally cry — have often been mocked by international fans as overly simplistic compared to those found across Europe and South America.
Earlier this month, Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce also blasted the USMNT’s “I Believe That We Will Win” chant, calling it the “most loser mentality chant” he had ever heard, arguing that U.S. supporters need something more intimidating and original.
England supporters have mastered this art over generations. From “It’s Coming Home” to Oasis’ “Wonderwall” sing-alongs and spontaneous chants in pubs and on the streets, English soccer’s fan culture developed organically over the decades.
All of this is still relatively new for American soccer supporters, and building a unique fan culture takes time. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from their long-lost “footballing” cousins across the Atlantic.
