USA captain Micah Christenson basks in adoration from Filipino fans
MANILA, Philippines – Team USA felt the love at the Mall of Asia Arena in their second game of Week 3 of the 2024 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) for Men on Thursday night, as they were showered with cheers during their five-set victory over Brazil.
Among fan favorites apart from Japan, the Americans felt right at home with the majority of the crowd cheering for them in the tightly contested affair.
Cheers were considerably louder whenever Team USA scored a point, and “U-S-A” chants were heard multiple times, confirming without a doubt whom Filipinos supported more in the game. After getting the win, USA skipper Micah Christenson shared his thoughts on the support they receive.
“I can’t say enough about the support. It’s something that I’ve talked about before, but we felt it a lot, never even being here in the Philippines. So now we’re finally here, and we get to feel it in the stadium, it’s something really, really special and we can’t say enough about [it],” he said.
Christenson himself is one of the more popular names among Team USA for Filipino fans. His popularity was made obvious by the signs bearing his name, with fans also wearing headbands with his face plastered on it.
After games, the setter is also showered with screams and shouts of “Micah!” in MOA Arena’s fan zone, where he also indulges the fans with his time, taking selfies and signing autographs.
For the 31-year-old, his post-game pleasantries are nothing compared to the support that the fans have given him and the rest of Team USA.
“We can’t thank the fans enough for being here and supporting us,” he said.
More than being the darling of Team USA, though, Christenson has also proven himself as the cog and core of the squad.
In the VNL alone, he’s been averaging a whopping 30.7 excellent sets per game, ramping up the playmaking as Team USA fights for its life for a spot in the Top 8.
Christenson and Team USA gear up for their last two matches in the hopes of moving on to the Final 8 and improve on their 4-6 slate. They face Germany next at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, still at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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