American soccer fans are not only celebrating the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) after its 2-0 World Cup victory over Australia on Friday but also singing a classic John Denver song. Following the team's triumph, the nearly 70,000 spectators at Seattle's Lumen Field broke into a rendition of Denver's 1971 hit, "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Although the match took place in Washington State and the song is set in West Virginia, the crowd sang loudly and proudly.
An Anthem Born from Scottish Tradition
While soccer teams often adopt classic songs as anthems, "Country Roads" is not the official team song of the USMNT. According to Fox26 Houston, its presence at the World Cup stems from Scottish fans who have taken to singing the tune whenever the Scottish team plays, and on many other occasions. Despite this, the number of social media posts from American fans suggests the song has been unofficially adopted as the team's anthem.
Social Media Buzz
Thousands of World Cup fans in Seattle joined in the chorus, as captured in numerous videos shared online. One post on X (formerly Twitter) noted, "The entire Seattle stadium of 70,000 just started singing 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' at the top of their lungs during the US world cup match." Another fan remarked, "Seeing our players singing 'Country Roads' with 70,000 fans in Seattle is freakin beautiful. Christian Pulisic got that song down."
Iconic Moments
The scene was described as giving "absolute goosebumps" as the entire stadium sang along with the USMNT players after the win against Australia. One user commented, "My God, what a week it's been to be a proud American." Another added, "Crowd belting Country Roads after the U.S. beat Australia. Iconic. Do it after every victory from now until forever. People from every corner of the globe will know John Denver."
Some fans even framed the moment as a cultural statement: "Every time some online idiot questions if America has a culture, remind them our culture is taking belt to ass then singing Country Roads after." The sentiment was echoed by Barstool Sports, which tweeted, "Country Roads after a World Cup victory has to be a top tier feeling in life."
