There is a fair deal of irony on FR World Cup threads. Conservatives making excuses for not cheering for the USA . . . .
I think it’s in part due to how many discussions you see where it always dissolve into:
Foreigners mocking Americans because our team doesn’t preform at the level of a Germany or Brazil, and therefore we are somehow bad people as a result.
Some hipster self-hating American dweeb lamenting that we call it Soccer while the rest of the world calls it Football (Australians and Canadians call it Soccer too).
American fans not just being Americans, but trying to adopt the mannerisms and cultural habits of European soccer fans. Thankfully the soccer riot hasn’t caught on.
In the end, many conservatives just feel totally alienated from the experience. They want to cheer on the U.S., but when you have to act like something you aren’t to join in the fun, you kinda tune out.