Gutman, Fire Silence Hostile Toronto Crowd
TORONTO, Ontario — In times of crisis, sport often brings nations together. However, amid the most dramatic breakdown in U.S.-Canada relations since the War of 1812, they’ve done anything but that.
Indeed, the Chicago Fire found themselves impacted by this unprecedented geopolitical moment when they traveled north of the border to take on Toronto FC this weekend. It was Toronto’s home opener in MLS, and thus also the first home game against American opposition since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose rhetoric has called for Canada to become the “51st State.”
Anti-American sentiment in Canada is undoubtedly the highest it has been in recent memory, and much like at ice hockey games in recent months, the home supporters loudly booed the Star-Spangled Banner, following it up with an enthusiastic rendition of O Canada as their own national flag was unfurled in the grandstand.
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The Toronto faithful didn’t have much to celebrate once the ball got rolling. Despite taking an early lead, goals from Andrew Gutman and Hugo Cuypers quickly turned things in the Fire’s favor, securing a 2-1 win on the road.
Gutman – one of seven Americans in the Fire’s starting XI – silenced the hostile crowd with his wonder strike from outside the box and cupped his ears to the fans as he wheeled away in celebration.
“It was just something that happened,” Gutman told MIR97 Media after the game. “Scoring away from home (in front of) the fans in Toronto, it was a good feeling to keep them quiet… I came to Toronto to play a soccer game and that’s exactly what we did.”
A talking point in Canada
The viral video of Saturday’s U.S. anthem did spark conversation in Canada, with Toronto locals divided on the matter. A poll under the popular Instagram page StraightOuttaThe6ixTV with over 1,100 responses found that 65% of followers viewed the booing at BMO Field as “disrespecful” while 35% said they “didn’t see anything wrong” with it. A CBC poll during last month’s 4 Nations Faceoff said that around 50% of Canadians supported the booing of the U.S. anthem.
New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was sworn in just a little over 24 hours before kickoff, has recently encouraged the booing of the U.S. anthem, which has become prominent in sporting events over the last two months. His assertive response to President Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric have helped his party soar in popularity ahead of an election later this year.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, who has also remained assertive of Canada’s independence and sovereignty, disagreed on the anthem issue.
“I would focus on cheering on Canadians,” Poilievre said last month. “I would encourage everyone to remember that our disagreement is not with the American people, it is with the American president’s unjustified threats of tariffs. Let’s focus on building our own country up.”
With no end in sight to the current situation between the U.S. and Canada, the anthem discussion will likely continue, especially as the Stanley Cup playoffs approach and the MLS season continues for the league's three Canadian teams.
Anything to declare?
The victory in Toronto marked the Fire’s second consecutive comeback win on the road – the first time the team has done so twice in a row since 2012. A win north of the border, particularly given their response to the pre-game controversies, also bodes well for the Fire as they travel to face the Vancouver Whitecaps next week in British Columbia.
“This was a huge boost for us,” Gutman said. “It shows that we can go anywhere and get results. Now we have to build off of it in the next game; we’re always looking for the three points.”
The possibility of a charged stadium energy aside, Vancouver is going to be a tremendously difficult test. The Whitecaps sit atop the MLS Supporters Shield standings after four matches, becoming one of just seven teams in league history to start the season with four successive wins.
“We'll have to check out the video and see what they are doing,” Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said. “(We need to) get familiar with them. They are league leaders right now and deservedly so.”
