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U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is certainly feeling the love of coaching one of the host nations at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And not only does he appreciate it, but Pochettino also made a pretty bold claim about the American fans.
Moments after the USA’s 2-0 win over Australia at Seattle Stadium on Friday, Pochettino compared the team’s fans to one of the best fan bases in international soccer.
“Great. I just said yesterday that Argentina have great fans, but I think we match Argentina,” Pochettino told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft. “It’s amazing, our fans. So happy for them.”
The Stars and Stripes certainly gave Seattle fans plenty of reasons to be loud and happy, but they were rambunctious in a way that was quite unique. The seismic footage after Alex Freeman’s goal saw the fans at Seattle Stadium shake the ground as the Americans took a 2-0 advantage.
That goal helped secure the USA victory, which in turn helped secure a place in the round of 16. When the game ended, the Seattle Stadium crowd began chanting “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — and the team joined in the performance.
That wasn’t the only way the fans showed their appreciation for the team, either. The crowd serenaded Pochettino with chants of his name and he appeared to be touched by the moment.
“Even if I’m not American, after the game, I was emotional because the atmosphere was great. The fans were great,” Pochettino told reporters. “The warm reception and the way they support us and celebrate everyone. They make it feel very emotional. And the players, they were also very emotional. I think it was a great and perfect connection and energy from this city and the team. They make us very proud.
“I think connecting with the people is what we wanted. If we want to achieve good things, we need the support of our fans. Fans here in Seattle and in the rest of the country support us and we feel that support. It’s great for the team.”
In addition to Friday’s game, Seattle has also been pretty synonymous with loud environments over the years. In 2011, the crowd in Seattle made so much noise when Marshawn Lynch rushed for a game-sealing touchdown in the Seahawks’ playoff win over the New Orleans Saints that it registered a slight tremor. Something similar happened to the Seahawks last postseason, when the crowd noise from Rashid Shaheed’s kickoff return touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round also registered on the scale.
