NEW YORK — John Johnston didn’t grow up playing soccer. He didn’t know many people who did back in Bloomfield. But when Pele joined the New York Cosmos, even Johnston had heard of the Brazilian legend. He and his three brothers drove to Randall’s Island to see him play.
That was Johnston’s only involvement with soccer until the World Cup came to the United States in 1994. He and his wife, Toni Kendrick, had a much quicker drive up the Turnpike from Freehold Township to Giants Stadium.
Though the United States men’s national team didn’t play in New Jersey, Johnston was hooked. He started traveling to World Cups, joining Sam’s Army, as the American supporters’ club was known at the time.
Four years later, Johnston went to the World Cup in France. In 2002, he and Kendrick took their daughter, who had been adopted from Korea, back there. And Johnston added a special twist on that trip. He grew out his goatee and dressed up as Uncle Sam.
“I used to ask everybody, ‘Who am I?’ They used to say, ‘George Washington,'” said Johnston, 71, decked out in his full outfit at the USMNT roster reveal on May 26 on a steamy South Street Seaport rooftop.
“I said, ‘Uncle Sam, an iconic American figure,’ and they’d look at me like I have two heads. A lot of people have negative connotations of America, so I try to do something more positive.”
Even the more conservative South Korean fans couldn’t help but notice Johnston’s red, white and blue polyester costume and ask for photos. Johnston even had a star-spangled top hat similar to what Apollo Creed had worn in the first “Rocky” movie. After it was stolen, Johnston replaced it with a matching soft, fabric version, for easier transport – though sometimes he even wears the costume on international flights to entertain passengers and flight attendants.
“He’s definitely a known entity,” said Gerald Foston of Jersey City, the president of United States fan group Sammers SC. “(Uncle Sam) is how people know him the best, actually. He’s been doing it for a while. … He’s the original Uncle Sam, as far as I’m concerned.”
Foston has been traveling to support the United States national teams since 2007. This will be his seventh World Cup: three for the men, three for the women, and the Under-20 men’s in Canada.
Johnston, meanwhile, will be supporting the USMNT at his seventh World Cup. He’s traveled to all but Russia in 2018, when the United States failed to qualify. The crowd in red, white and blue has only grown over the years.
After he and Kendrick warmed up at the Morocco-Norway friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium on June 7, Johnston is planning to fly to Seattle with his son and one of his six grandkids. They’re going to see the United States play Australia on June 19, and Türkiye on June 25 in Los Angeles.
Tickets for the first USMNT match versus Paraguay on June 12 in L.A., were just too expensive. Johnston might take in a match or two at the Meadowlands, but the security protocols seemed daunting. Philadelphia and Boston were also options.
“You go and have your fun,” said Johnston, who had worked for the Monmouth County Prosecutors’ Office. “If you go looking for trouble, you’ll find trouble. If you go looking for a good time, you’ll find a good time.”
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ’s ‘Uncle Sam’ heading west to support USMNT in 2026 FIFA World Cup
