If you thought there must've been a meaning behind the expressive shirt manager Luchi Gonzalez wore on the FC Dallas touchline on Saturday night. You were correct. Sort of.
After Dallas' 3-1 victory over Minnesota United, Gonzalez said he wore the African-inspired top that was a gift from his wife in part to remember recently deceases actor Chadwick Boseman, and in part because his kids just wanted him to.
Luchi Gonzalez during a hydration break in a 3-1 win over Minnesota.
"I just felt it," Gonzalez said. "This was a gift from my wife, it’s an African-inspired shirt. My kids have a set and they decided to wear it, and they wanted me to wear it too. It’s a crazy world right now, and there’s a lot of sad things in the world, and we needed to find reasons to love and smile."
His children's love of "Black Panther," the film for which Boseman may be most famous, also figured in.
"My kids love 'Black Panther,' it’s one of their favorite movies, and he’s an amazing actor," Gonzalez said. "And so it’s just a combination of feelings and emotions and pride for my family and what I represent, and it was just what I felt like doing."
Boseman died on Friday at the age of 43 after battling colon cancer. Dallas' Fafa Picault and Jesus Ferreira were among the players to pay their own tribute to Boseman with a "Wakanda Forever" salute as part of their respective goal celebrations.
