Soccer fever is driving Americans to beg for a national holiday on Thursday when the U.S. Men’s Soccer team faces Germany in a critical match.
After Sunday’s historic turnout where 25 million people watched the draw versus Portugal, many are expected to tune in Thursday when the U.S.’s fate could be sealed with an advancement to the next round when the teams kick off at noon.
“Americans all over this great country won't get to see that game, won't get to enjoy the fraternity of their fellow citizens because it is scheduled for the middle of the day,” a new petition on the White House’s We the People site reads. “You can save everybody the trouble. Make Thursday a holiday. Let's do this thing right and all stop what we're doing and watch the game together.
With only 24 hours until kickoff, the petition has over 2,500 signatures. While it still needs more than 97,000 to solicit a response from the White House, the petition shows just how highly-anticipated Thursday’s match is for American soccer fans.