Field Gulls
For the first time ever, the FIFA World Cup has come to the city of Seattle, and the Super Bowl champion Seahawks were there to witness a milestone moment for the US Men’s National Team.
After a comprehensive 4-1 drubbing of Paraguay in their opening game, the Americans secured a spot in the Round of 32 with a comfortable 2-0 win over Australia in front of a sold out 66,925 at Lumen Field (or, more accurately, “Seattle Stadium” during this tournament). If you want to feel old, if not outright prehistoric, Alex Freeman scored the USA’s second goal, and he’s the son of Green Bay Packers legend Antonio Freeman.
This is the first time the US men have ever made it to the knockout round with a game to spare in group play, and as long as they win their group and subsequent Round of 32 game in Santa Clara, they’ll be back in Seattle for the Round of 16 in early July.
While Belgium vs. Egypt was a great environment as the first World Cup match in Seattle, having the Americans and Aussies in town made for one of those special “big match” atmospheres and sporting occasions that you love to see in the Emerald City. Seattle has long been a soccer hotbed through the Sounders and Reign, and the USMNT might as well have had as menacing a home-field advantage as we’ve seen for the Seahawks.
Speaking of whom…
You better believe that there were many past and present Seahawks in attendance to watch this win, including head coach Mike Macdonald, Tory Horton, Nick Emmanwori, Connor O’Toole, Stephen Hauschka, Cliff Avril, Russell Wilson (who has an ownership stake in the Sounders), and Marshawn Lynch.
You love to see it. Incidentally, the US had not recorded a shutout since last September, so it’s only fitting they pull it off at the home of the NFL’s best defense. It was a physical game and the American defense was swarming throughout the afternoon, not allowing many clear-cut chances for an underdog Australian side that had just pulled off an upset win over Turkiye in their previous group stage game. Seahawks punter Michael Dickson was not available for selection.
As an aside, while the main story is about how many Seahawks were in the building for World Cup soccer, it is so amazing to see how many fans and media people both domestically and internationally have had nothing but praise for the city of Seattle and the stadium itself. Just look at some of these quotes!
And while they were the opposition on Friday, a shoutout to the Aussie fans who made the trip!
And, lastly, a shoutout to Michael Dickson.
The next World Cup match in Seattle will be Egypt against Iran on June 26.
