As the Dynamo visited the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night, the home fans made sure Ching was aware of his disappointment over all of this by chanting "U.S. reject" and other insults at him throughout the game.
A third of the way into the match, the Los Angeles faithful began chanting, "U.S. reject" repeatedly in front of Ching, and later, the chants began again in the second half.The chants seem to have hit a nerve with Brian Ching. This kind of taunting is kind of expected, and happens in any and every sport. I don't care what team you cheer for -- there are asshole fans for every team. More here: Los Angeles Galaxy Crowd Chants "U.S. Reject" At Brian Ching.
Ching admitted this and other unfavorable comments did in fact affect his psyche.
"It affects you a little bit," said Ching after the game. "But that's the nature of the game."
The striker was once a Galaxy player, back in his early days with Major League Soccer, but he really came into his own as a player for the San Jose Earthquakes and later the Houston Dynamo, two fierce club rivals of Los Angeles.
"There's always people that are out there, try to put you down," Ching observed. "It's part of being a professional athlete - not everybody likes you."