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Former Navy SEAL Robert J. O’Neill, who was part of the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, delivered a pregame speech to Team USA players ahead of their World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game against Canada Friday.
Team USA beat Canada 5-3 to advance to the semifinals after O’Neill’s pep talk. But the speech also received criticism from left-wing social media users within and beyond the U.S.
Many who criticized the speech condemned its pro-war messaging and association of war with American values.
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Edouard Julien of Canada slides into second base against Brice Turang of the United States during the fifth inning at Daikin Park March 13, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Other Americans praised the speech and fired back at the critics.
“It’s unfathomable that the comment section is filled with people upset about an American hero telling a team representing America about a heroic story about a mission his team accomplished. We went from a patriotic country post 9/11 to a country full of terrorist sympathizers,” one X user wrote.
Another user wrote, “Epic! Well played by @USABaseball. American hero and legend in the clubhouse.”
TEAM USA BASEBALL MANAGER MARK DEROSA RESPONDS TO CRITICISM AMID MOUNTING CONTROVERSY
Manager Mark DeRosa of Team USA during the singing of the national anthem before a game against Great Britain at Daikin Park March 7, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Gabriella Ricciardi/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The U.S. will play the Dominican Republic in a WBC semifinal Sunday.
The win over Canada marked the third time in less than a month that Americans have crushed Canadian sports dreams on the world stage after dramatic victories over Canada in both the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey gold medal games last month.
O’Neill wasn’t the only one to hype up Team USA before the game.
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa revealed that USA hockey hero Jack Hughes, who scored the winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada at the Olympics, reached out to the American baseball players before Friday’s game.
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Aaron Judge of the United States shakes hands with teammates before a game against Canada during the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Daikin Park March 13, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)
“Jack Hughes sent the boys a nice little fire-up message that I put out on their group chat,” DeRosa said during a press conference Thursday ahead of the game.
“I know there are some talks about some hockey jerseys being sent in tomorrow for the guys to wear during BP or out and about in the clubhouse.”
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