The US Men’s National Team won an important World Cup qualifying match against a plucky El Salvador side, curiously played on a frozen tundra pitch in late January in Columbus, OH. The goal that decided the 1-0 victory was scored by Antonee “Jedi” Robinson, whose post-goal celebration is just as worthy of revisiting as the goal itself.
Robinson was Man of the Match in last night’s game, and not just because of his goal. He has consistently been the best player on the pitch (apologies to Weston McKennon and Tyler Adams) and has become the more than reliable starting right fullback for the USMNT side.
But what stood out in the clip above was his world-class celebration. Following his back handspring post-goal celebration, he acted as though he’d pulled a hamstring, and for a few seconds, as his teammates surrounded him, you could feel the nation of soccer fans worried he’d injured himself…celebrating.
But in a way that would impress Fred Sanford, the injured hammy turned into what can only be called a funky strut, with Robinsons’ gleeful smile revealing the prank. Enjoy a different angle of the bit here:
US soccer journalist extraordinaire Grant Wahl described it this way.
Robinson’s personality has been coming out recently just as much as his attacking characteristics. The 24-year-old celebrated his goal as he always does, by doing handsprings, but added an element
by briefly faking a hamstring injury limp and then dramatically emerging unscathed. “I didn’t tell anyone, so there were a few people scared,” he said, “but it’s all part of the fun of enjoying the game for me.”The English American added that he prefers not to be called by his formal first name, Antonee, but rather by the name he grew up with. “I’ve been called Jedi since I was five,” he explained. “That’s purely because when I was really young, I was a big Star Wars fan. I used to love getting the costumes, the games, dressing up, watching the movies. Ever since I was that age, I’ve been called Jedi. I’ve introduced myself to people as Jedi: school teachers, new friends. That’s why it’s on my Instagram and Twitter. I feel weird being called Antonee. I prefer being called Jedi.”
(Sidenote to any footy fans reading this post, do not deny yourself the joy of subscribing to Wahl’s writing and subscribe to his newsletter here.)
Robinson explained the motivation behind the celebration in a post-match interview:
Watch above via ESPN.