octoberspazbaby:

A small troupe of Mets players, all of them American, came strutting out of a back room in the visitors’ clubhouse at Camden Yards on Saturday looking like a group of fans at an international soccer game.

There was Jon Niese, unfurling an American flag, a half-smile on his face. David Wright followed him holding a flag in one hand, and then Rod Barajas, and finally Ike Davis, Old Glory draped around his neck and a look of satisfaction on his face.

While usually showing very little interest in soccer, the Mets, like much of the world, have started paying attention now that the World Cup has started.

Johan Santana, perhaps the only truly knowledgeable soccer fan on the club, organized a friendly pool about a week ago. The players drew countries out of a hat, and each one has a small flag of his representative country affixed to his locker at Citi Field.

Despite that, there had not been a real buzz about the World Cup around the clubhouse until Saturday, when several players retreated to the back room before batting practice and watched the United States tie England, 1-1.

Most of them are admittedly only part-time soccer fans, supporters of the United States team every four years at the World Cup. Even Niese, who at Defiance High in Ohio set a school record with 22 goals as a junior left wing on the varsity soccer team, said he did not consider himself a big fan.

“I really enjoyed playing,” he said Friday. “I love the game, but I don’t really watch it very much.”