The cement stairs, about 40 feet wide, are meant to bring fans out of the upper levels of
MetLife Stadium and toward what normally is known as the Verizon gate.
On Saturday, English soccer fans made it a concert venue.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaIkazDIg_R/?igsh=ZHl0ajljaGI3ajU3
A few hundred of them — all of them more than a few pints in, many wrapped in flags,
some of them shirtless — stopped on the final steps and belted out a postgame song
that captured the essence of English football and the passion of the World Cup, all in
one:
‘I don’t want to go home,
‘Please don’t make me go home,
‘I just don’t want to go to work,
‘I want to stay here, drink cold beer
‘So, please don’t make me go home.’
The show went on for at least a half an hour.
This wasn’t hooliganism; this was nationalism. An eagerness to show support for your
nation and your national pastime that far exceeds any version of ‘God Save the Queen’
they could have offered.
The rhythmic rowing of Norway was cool; the Samba spirit of Brazil captivating. But this
was the fan moment of the Group Stage at MetLife Stadium — the best example of why
the World Cup is more special than any other sporting event.
***
We root for teams in the U.S. — but only truly come together as a nation during once-in-
a-generation moments, such as the 1980 Olympic men’s hockey team.
England does it for every national team match.
And the connection between the local team and the national team is important to note.
When Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal of the 2026 Gold Medal Game, did
you salute him as an American player or a member of the Devils — or both?
In England, where seven of the 20 Premiership League teams are based in London and
the top three leagues have 72 teams in a geographic space similar to the Northeast
Corridor, your neighborhood team matters.
It’s why you’ll often see an acknowledgement of who they support on the official bio of
anyone from England (imagine seeing a note that Bon Jovi is a Giants/Jets/Eagles fan).
It’s why, when English fans took over the food court/entertainment section of American
Dream before the game, they hung flags of both their country and their local club, often
combined into one (imagine a Yankees logo on the U.S. flag).
Ian Smith, an Englishman now living in Milwaukee — who came with his wife to their
first World Cup game just to take in a bit of the old country — explained why.
“We take pride in our local clubs,” he said. “Jude Bellingham is known as much for his
time at Birmingham City as with the national club.”
Smith remains an ardent Birmingham City supporter despite having moved to the U.S.
from Northfield decades ago.
***
Here’s where all this comes together — why the singing supporters had a crowd of
more than 100 singing along with them: Men, women, even kids knew all the words.
For England, the World Cup represents a moment when fans of all clubs come together
as one (imagine Yankees fans being arm-in-arm with Red Sox fans).
Greg Smith from London (Fulham supporter) was among the hundreds singing along.
“This is what we do when we win; we sing songs,” he said. “When we’re at home, we all
have our different clubs. This is the one time we can all come together.
“Of course, if we lose, we all go cry in our beer.”
Yes, let’s be clear, beer does play a big role in this. (English were stunned they could
drink beer anywhere in the stadium. They took full advantage.)
The realities of life coming into play, too.
Many of the supporters I spoke to Saturday came in just for the game and were headed
back on Sunday. Monday meant work — regardless of what the song said.
A few said they are planning to head to Atlanta on Wednesday for England’s first
knockout-round game and are debating whether to continue on to Mexico City — should
England advance as expected — for a match next Sunday.
It fits the I-don’t-want-to-go-home mantra.
Daniel Madden of London, speaking at halftime on Saturday, said he was still deciding
whether to carry on with the team. His decision-making process is very data driven.
“I’ve not had enough beers to say yet,” he said.
