The USMNT may have beaten Jamaica with an aggregate score of 5-2, but it’s Christian Pulisic’s antics that are making the headlines. The skipper, after scoring the first goal, rushed towards the corner flag and did the iconic Trump celebration. While reactions were mixed about Pulisic’s dance, Jesse Marsch, head of Canada’s men’s national team, revealed that the celebration caused a stir in his household.

During the post-match conference, the former USMNT player was asked about his views on political celebrations. To provide context, Donald Trump recently won the 2024 US elections, and Pulisic’s gesture was in recognition of the president-elect. “My wife was freaking out about Pulisic’s celebration. You can take that however you want. I had to listen to that for 20 minutes,” said Jesse Marsch. 

Back in 2022, Marsch’s wife questioned her husband’s celebration after his Leeds side beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. When Crysencio Summerville scored the winning goal, Marsch broke character with a brief hand wave in celebration. It was indeed a moment to celebrate, as they ended Liverpool’s unbeaten home run since 2017, last having lost to Crystal Palace. 

On the other hand, the goalscorer’s girlfriend, Alexa Melton, took to Instagram to share the AC Milan player’s celebrations. The pro-golfer, who has been dating Pulisic since the beginning of the year, added ‘🦅🇺🇸🕺🏻’ emojis to her story. Not everyone was supportive of the celebration, with many questioning the former Borussia Dortmund player’s decision to intertwine sports with politics. 

Like Pulisic’s girlfriend, former USMNT player Alexi Lalas also showed support for the player, considering his brace was vital for Pochettino’s side. And Pulisic had all the right to celebrate as he became the fastest player in USMNT history to reach 50 goal contributions. The talking point came after untelevised footage revealed that the AC Milan player wasn’t the only one doing the celebration. 

Captain America leads the celebration 

Online clips shared by fans who attended the game at CITYPARK stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, showcased the likes of Yunush Musah, Weston Mckennie, and Ricardo Pepi joining in. Musah later also crashed Christian Pulisic’s post-match interview, trolling the ‘Lebron James of Soccer’ for his lucky second goal. Demarai Gray’s brace gave some hope to the Reggae Boyz, but goals from Pepi and Timothy Weah pretty much sealed the deal for Pochettino’s men. 

In another corner of the sports world, UFC fighter Jon Jones performed the shimmy after beating Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. This time, Donald Trump was in the audience at Madison Square Garden. The celebration raises the question: Where do we draw the line? With the North American continent hosting the 2026 World Cup, many have a gut feeling that this won’t be the last time we see the iconic shimmy.