By Dan Catchpole
SEATTLE, June 19 (Reuters) – United States midfielder Weston McKennie praised the home fans in Seattle Stadium on Friday as the World Cup co-hosts beat Australia 2-0 to secure a spot in the Round of 32.
Chants of “U.S.A.” continued long after the final whistle and U.S. supporters also broke into a rendition of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.
“The fans were amazing, amazing,” McKennie said.
The 27-year-old added that he got a boost before the match listening to fans singing the U.S. national anthem.
“(It) really woke me up, hearing everyone sing the national anthem, and it just makes you proud to be from this country, in my opinion the greatest country in the world,” he said.
The U.S. has frequently clashed with foreign allies during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, but the World Cup is an opportunity for visitors to see “why we love this country so much and experiencing it firsthand,” McKennie said. “I think they’re getting a little taste of it.”
“The fans were amazing, and Seattle was amazing,” he said.
Their Argentinian coach Mauricio Pochettino echoed his player’s comments, saying: “Today, even if I am not American, after the game I was emotional … the fans were amazing.
“The warm reception in the way that they support us and the way they celebrate the victory. They make it feel very emotional and the players, they are very emotional too.
“I think it was an amazing and a perfect connection in between the energy from the stands and the team … if we want to achieve good things we need the support of our fans.”
The U.S. top Group D with two wins. The other group members, Paraguay and Turkey, play later on Friday.
(Reporting by Dan Catchpole in SeattleEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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