That is the key distinction. Cheering for the US Men’s National Team should not be treated as an endorsement of every policy, slogan or political figure attached to the flag.
That matters in a deeply divided United States, where sport is often dragged into the culture war whether players want it or not.
The report cites Taremi as an example because his words cut through the noise. “The people are always with us, and that’s why we are with them,” he explained, drawing a line between a nation’s citizens and its rulers.
That is a useful lens for American fans too. A team shirt is not a campaign poster. The players on the pitch are not authors of foreign policy. They are athletes carrying expectation, pressure and, in a World Cup, a version of national identity that is always more complicated than politicians prefer.
There will still be fans who cannot separate the two. That discomfort is real, and dismissing it would be glib. Sport does not float above society. But turning every World Cup match into a moral referendum is just as simplistic.
A win over Paraguay would be just that: a win. A loss would not settle any wider argument either. What comes next is the more interesting story - not only how the United States perform, but whether supporters can hold onto nuance once the anthem ends and the game begins.