largest population of Bosnians<\/a> outside Bosnia and Herzegovina \u2014 will have something to celebrate. Many, however, are unapologetically cheering for their homeland when it takes on the country they now call home.<\/p>\n\u201cThey are like dressing up in the jerseys, singing the anthem,\u201d said Ibro Tucakovic, a Bosnian immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1998 and became the first Bosnian immigrant to seek elected office in Missouri. \u201cLooking at my daughter, when we won against Qatar, she was crying. And so basically they, they can see the happiness in their parents’ eyes, because it means so much to us. So the kids are basically just going nuts over it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mirhad Hasanovic, a Bosnian immigrant who came to the U.S. in July 2001 and is now a legislative staffer running to represent parts of St. Louis\u2019s South County in the Missouri statehouse, said it was \u201cunfortunate\u201d that his two favorite countries are playing against one another so early on in the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Bosnians, this is huge,\u201d he said. \u201cWe’re a very small country, so just to be able to be at the World Cup and compete is an achievement in itself. \u201cKids grow up at the age of three or four, they start playing, they start watching, they start going to all the leagues, so the excitement level is out the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
For refugees whose memories of Bosnia revolve around war and genocide, its first-ever appearance in the knockout rounds has become a way to reconnect with the country they fled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not very often that you get, like, really great news from Bosnia,\u201d said Adna Karamehic-Oates, director of the Center for Bosnian Studies at Saint Louis University. \u201cPeople want good stories that come out of Bosnia, and that’s why they’re so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n