MLS club Minnesota United have apologised after inadvertently using a Republican slogan to promote their upcoming friendly against St Pats.
Like many US cities, the Twin Cities in which Minnesota United are based (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) draw on decades of Irish heritage. For that reason, they have invited the defending FAI Cup champions to play a mid-season friendly at Allianz Field next Wednesday to mark St. Patrick's Day.
St Pats will become the first League of Ireland team to play a mid-season friendly against MLS opposition when they visit Saint Paul next week. The buildup to the game, however, has been marked by a rather unfortunate blunder from Minnesota United's social media team.
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Minnesota United use 'Tiocfaidh Ár Lá' in St Pats promo image
On Tuesday evening, Minnesota United's official Twitter account shared an article on their website promoting next Wednesday's game against St Pats.
The piece itself is a well-written and researched brief history of the Inchicore club - however, the headline chosen appears to have been lost in translation.
The well-known Irish Republican phrase 'Tiocfaidh Ár Lá' sat as both the header of the on-site piece and tagline of the accompanying tweet.
Screenshotting this before it’s deleted… https://t.co/ZvTIoREYT1 pic.twitter.com/o8wH63w9Nl
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) March 12, 2024
The post has indeed been deleted, and the headline of their on-site piece has been altered to 'The Saints are Coming to Town.'
Minnesota United took to social media to apologise for their previous tweet, saying:
Earlier today, an article appeared on MNUFC.com which unknowingly included a divisive expression. We deeply regret this error and apologize to those we have offended with our careless mistake.
The phrase 'Tiocfaidh Ár Lá' is an Irish language phrase meaning 'our day will come.' It is a well-known slogan of Irish Republicans and is widely associated with the Provisional IRA and their actions during the Troubles in the late 20th century. It refers to a prospective day in which the island of Ireland is once again united and independent.
Despite this unfortunate slip-up, excitement for St Pats' Stateside visit is high. They will face Shelbourne in a Premier Division tie on Friday before setting off for Saint Paul over the weekend. The announcement of the fixture appeared to confirm that the squad will land in Minnesota in time for the St. Patrick's Day festivities on Sunday.
We were introduced to our colleagues in Minnesota United by friends of the Club and once we found an available date that suited both teams, it was an easy fixture to set.
There is a big Irish/American community in this area and the fact that we will be in the Twin Cities for St Patrick’s Day and the fixture will take place around this time will no doubt add to the occasion.
St Pats v Minnesota United takes place on Wednesday, March 20th, with kick-off at midnight Irish time.
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