Fans at BMO Field boo U.S. anthem prior to Toronto FC's home opener against Chicago

Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 15, 2025 4:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Fans astatine Toronto FC's location opener against the Chicago Fire showed their displeasure astatine the U.S. by booing The Star-Spangled Banner on Saturday.

The booing was steady, followed by an enthusiastic rendition of O Canada.

Fans besides booed the U.S. anthem astatine B.C. Place Stadium erstwhile the Los Angeles Galaxy visited Vancouver connected March 2.

Canadian shot fans person followed hockey successful showing their displeasure astatine U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs against the state and speech astir Canada becoming the 51st state.

Chicago manager Gregg Berhalter and American midfielder Jonathan Dean were asked earlier successful the week astir imaginable anthem booing successful Toronto.

"We'll beryllium prepared to play, to vie successful a shot game," said Berhalter, a erstwhile U.S. nationalist squad coach. "That absorption doesn't person thing to bash with the shot game. It has to bash with things extracurricular of shot that we can't control.

"So for us, it truly is conscionable focusing connected things that we tin control. You know, we'll beryllium acceptable to play. We'll beryllium prepared. We'll cognize the opponent. And we'll spell retired and springiness our best."

Added Dean: "That hasn't been thing that we've touched connected yet. But yeah, for us, we'll beryllium respectful nary substance what."

Ironically Toronto manager Robin Fraser mentioned the Canadian anthem erstwhile asked earlier the crippled astir peculiar memories from location openers.

"When the squad is playing truly really good and the nationalist anthem would beryllium sung, helium oregon she could really halt singing and the assemblage would instrumentality it over, it was a feeling that conscionable created goosebumps," said Fraser, a Jamaican-born erstwhile U.S. international.