Sam's Army

Sam's Army, now defunct, was an unofficial supporters' group for the United States men's national soccer team. The name of the group derives from Uncle Sam, a national personification of the United States, and the Scottish supporters' group the Tartan Army. Sam's Army debuted at a 1995 U.S. Cup game following the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In 2010 there were more than 14,000 members of Sam's Army, and the organization reported having members around the world. Sam's Army was known for wearing all red and usually standing behind a goal during United States national team matches. George Vecsey of The New York Times described Sam's Army as, "a relative handful of goofy characters in red outfits... who follow the American team around the globe."

The group's website is now offline and their social feeds were last updated in 2014.

Sam's Army was co-founded by Mark Spacone and John Wright. Spacone met Mark Wheeler, who ran a World Cup website, and decided that they should create a United States national team fan club. Wheeler left to go overseas and Wright stepped in as the other co-founder. Together they laid the groundwork for Sam's Army using Wheeler's website. According to the Sam's Army website, Sam's Army was inspired by the Scottish football team's supporter group, the Tartan Army, which they felt was an ideal to aim for as a supporter group.

Sam's Army's first organized debut was at a United States vs. Nigeria U.S. Cup match on June 11, 1995 at Foxboro Stadium; after winning that year's U.S. Cup, the United States' coach Steve Samson called the group "the best fans in the country right now for the game of soccer", and Alexi Lalas threw the group his jersey in celebration of their U.S. Cup victory and to show his thanks for their support. The group originated due to a lack of an organized soccer supporters' club in the United States. Sam's Army notified fans by e-mail during the 2002 FIFA World Cup to let them know which bars would be showing the United States team's World Cup matches. Over 4,000 Sam's Army members gathered at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium to watch the United States play Germany in the 2002 World Cup. George Vecsey of The New York Times noted that Sam's Army followed the United States team wherever they went for qualifying matches in 2004.

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