Where did Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt come from?

The base photo is from a November 12, 2021 USMNT vs. Mexico World Cup Qualifier where Pulisic actually wore a "Man in the Mirror" undershirt. The photoshopped "It's called soccer" version was first posted by Twitter user @matthew_gon24 on June 15, 2022.

What does Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt mean?

It is an American jab at English and European fans who insist the sport should be called football, framing the U.S. word choice as the correct one.

How do you use Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt?

People typically pair the photoshopped image, or the standalone phrase "it's called soccer now," with any American win, British setback, or moment where the U.S. compares favorably to Europe.

Is Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt still popular?

It hit its peak during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when American fans chanted "It's called soccer" in the stands and TikTok reposts pulled hundreds of thousands of views. It is still recognized as a classic USMNT fan meme.

Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt

Q: What is Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt?

It is a photoshopped image of Christian Pulisic lifting his jersey to reveal an undershirt reading "It's called soccer," used to mock the debate over calling the sport soccer versus football.

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Published August 10, 2026

Christian Pulisic's "It's Called Soccer" shirt is a photoshopped image of the USMNT star's undershirt edited to read "It's called soccer." The edit trended during the 2022 FIFA World Cup as a jab at English fans over the soccer versus football naming debate.

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Overview

Christian Pulisic's "It's Called Soccer" shirt is a photoshopped image of the U.S. men's national team forward lifting his jersey after a goal to reveal an undershirt reading "It's called soccer"1. The original photograph is real, but Pulisic's actual undershirt said "Man in the Mirror," a reference to the Michael Jackson song1.

TikTok

The edited image turned into a running joke among American soccer fans poking at English and European supporters over the long-standing argument about whether the sport is called "soccer" or "football"2. It picked up its widest audience around the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, especially the group stage match between the United States and England5.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Twitter (photoshop origin) / Instagram and TikTok (viral spread)

Creator

@matthew_gon24

Date

2022

On November 12, 2021, the USMNT beat Mexico 2-0 in a 2022 World Cup Qualifier, with Pulisic scoring the opening goal and lifting his jersey to celebrate2. The undershirt message was not visible on the live broadcast, but Getty Images photographers caught the "Man in the Mirror" text in a still photo1.

The photoshopped version arrived months later. On June 15, 2022, Twitter user @matthew_gon24 posted an edit swapping in the text "It's called soccer" with the caption "When Pulisic scores against England," and the tweet pulled roughly 4,600 likes3.

How It Spread

The edit went wider on June 18, 2022, when the ESPN FC Instagram account reposted @matthew_gon24's photoshop and gathered around 139,300 likes4. The following day, the Twitter account @nocontextfooty shared the same image without a caption and pulled about 26,800 likes5.

The catchphrase then broke off from the image and spread on its own. On July 18, 2022, Twitter user @Mr_Cuddlez88 posted a screenshot of the Euro slipping below the U.S. dollar with the caption "It's called soccer now and there's nothing you can do about it," which drew about 363,600 likes5. A tweet from @BoyYeetsWorld on September 9, 2022 that simply read "it's called soccer now" pulled roughly 206,500 likes5.

The photoshop resurfaced during the tournament itself. On November 21, 2022, a repost of the image hit r/Memes and picked up about 5,100 upvotes in nine days6. On November 26, 2022, TikToker @mrwootwoot filmed American fans inside a Qatari stadium chanting "It's called soccer," and the clip reached around 589,700 plays in four days5. TikToker @ramsfooty then posted a video the next day riffing on players who write shirt messages but never score, which pulled about 1.2 million plays before Pulisic himself scored against Iran later that week7.

How to Use This Meme

The template typically uses the same still image of Pulisic lifting his jersey, with the "It's called soccer" text edited onto the undershirt. Captions often pair the image with any American win, British misfortune, or currency comparison as a way to needle European football fans5. The phrase "it's called soccer now" is also used on its own as a standalone punchline, without the image5.