Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt

2022image macroclassic

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.

football memesphotoshop memescatchphrase memesexploitable templates2022 memes

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.

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Christian Pulisics Its Called Soccer Shirt

2022image macroclassic

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.

football memes photoshop memes catchphrase memes exploitable templates 2022 memes

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.

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions