I probably know a bit more about Soccer than most Americans. Way back in the 90's, I was a 'Soccer Girl' for my high school boy's team. I liked watching Soccer and it was a chance to mingle with cute boys, admittedly. My son also played Soccer in high school as a change from baseball in the off season. It was always a fun watch. Like most Americans, I am also enjoying the World Cup games and truly wished America was still in the hunt. 

Now that we are not, I had to find a new team to pull for and I've decided on Norway. My son's paternal grandmother is from Sweden, so my son is Nordic himself. It just seems right to choose another Nordic country who still has a chance. Plus I really like Erling Haaland. 

Erling Haaland, the Norway striker, bought a rare 1594 manuscript about Norway’s medieval kings, including King Olaf and the nation’s conversion to Christianity, for $134,000 and donated it to his hometown library so people could connect with Norway’s history and heritage. pic.twitter.com/TMZbbYnWQT

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) July 7, 2026

Haaland chose to play for Norway to honor his Mom. He lives in England but his Mom is from Norway so he wanted to give them a chance at winning the World Cup. I think that's very cool..

🇳🇴 Erling Haaland has been doing things on a football pitch that shouldn't be humanly possible.

Bicycle kicks, thunderbolt headers, casual goals from impossible angles, all mixed with the occasional moment of pure chaos, and of course, smashing the ball straight into his…

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 7, 2026

Haaland's skills are otherworldly. His Dad was a worldclass 'footballer' himself, and his Mom was a heptathlete, so the genes are immaculate. 

Erling Haaland eats a classic Jewish pastrami sandwich from Katz’s Deli in New York

The man knows.

🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/DTLyFU5IlZ

— Kosher (@koshercockney) July 8, 2026

Plus, he's just a big goof who clearly loves to laugh and have a good time. What's not to love?

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For 90% of the game, Haaland just lurks around. He hardly even pays attention to the ball.

But then - out of a sudden - at the exact right moment, he awakens, scores a historic goal, and immediately goes back to lurking around.

He cannot be replicated. pic.twitter.com/LkC3PmY20A

— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) July 6, 2026

Someone said they suspect Norway puts him on ice between games and just thaws him out when they need him to play. That's hilarious.

Do you understand why the Vikings were feared before?

This is Erling Haaland.pic.twitter.com/aBjW0XNbN0

— Seth (@seth_fin) July 2, 2026

Also, he's really fast. 

Erling Haaland knows the power of words https://t.co/XsTvTsa6Q1 pic.twitter.com/mcXTsvZVGj

— Electra (@Electrarythm) July 1, 2026

Erling Haaland was so fascinated by American culture during his visit to Texas for the World Cup that he couldn't stop talking about how kind everyone was and even started using a Southern accent to fit in 😭

he also purchased a custom cowboy hat and tried branding himself pic.twitter.com/hKYlTJCS51

— yoxic (@yoxics) July 3, 2026

He also loves American culture. If you are looking for someone to cheer on now that the US is out of it, look no further than Erling and Norway. Also, their fans are pretty great. 

Erling Haaland leads the Viking Row for Norway 🇳🇴

One of the greatest traditions continues on in this FIFA World Cup. pic.twitter.com/mHDGCVH2b6

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 5, 2026

Best of luck to Erling and team!