See How The USMNT Celebrated Their Historic Knockout Round Win
on Jul 02, 2026 • Updated Jul 03, 2026
On Wednesday (July. 1), the US Men’s National Soccer Team won their first Knockout Round at a World Cup win since 2002.
They beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0, ending the match with one less player due to a red card to top goal scorer Folarin Balogun in the 64th minutes. The US played one man down for over a half hour and still didn’t give up a goal.
The win pushes them into the Round of 16, which will be played on Monday (July 6) against Belgium, who is ranked ninth in the world.
If you look up the history of the Men’s National Team at the World Cup, the statistics will tell you that they have made the Round of 16 in 2022, 2014, and 2010, but in those years, the first Knockout Round was the Round of 16. This year’s World Cup expanded to 48 teams, so the first Knockout Round was the Round of 32.
The team’s best-ever finish was in 2002 when they reached the Quarterfinals, but lost to Germany.
Now, with the country behind them, they play with the mantra, “Why not us?”
The USMNT Celebrated Their Group Stage-Clinching Win With “Country Roads”
After beating Australia in the Group Stage 2-0, becoming the first time the team has won the first two games of the World Cup, the team led the 69,000-seat Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington in singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Fans described the moment as one of the most “memorable” of the World Cup thus far.
And it was a highlight for the team as well.
Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter told Sports Illustrated, “Singing that song was one of the highlights of this whole tournament so far. Belting that out, it just felt so American in that moment and with the guys on teams singing, that was really cool.”
After The Knockout Round Win, They Sang The Song Once Again
Moments after the whistle blew in Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” began blaring through the stadium’s speakers once again.
The team walked around the field waving to fans and encouraged everyone to sing along. The head coach, Mauricio Pochettino (who is Argentine), even was screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs.
“When that song plays, it’s impossible not to sing along because it’s incredible, but I’m still 200% Argentine,” he said in a post-match press conference.
Watch the full video of the stadium singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Why “Take Me Home, Country Roads”?
FIFA asked all 48 teams for a song to play when they score and when they win. The US wanted to choose a song that could encourage the fans to sing along, so they knew they wanted to song to be a well-known classic.
The team was reportedly deciding between “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Sweet Caroline,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
They decided against “Sweet Caroline” due to the history of England using it over the years as their celebration song.
“It’s just being proud of your country,” defender Auston Trusty told reporters. ”I think ’Country Roads’ is a very American song. To hear that in the stadium, everyone was singing along—everyone. If you’re American, you probably know that song, so everyone’s singing and celebrating the win, and you’re smiling and happy with your teammates. It’s a dream come true.”
Here’s to hoping we hear another “Country Roads” sing-along on July 6!
After The Game, The Team Blasted Country Music
The United States Men’s Soccer Team are certified Ella Fellas!
Midfielder Weston McKennie posted a video of him, Tyler Adams, and Christian Pulisic belting the lyrics to Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” on the bus as they headed back to their hotel after the game.
They also happened to have a microphone on the bus, and Weston took it over to sing Darius Rucker’s version of “Wagon Wheel.”
The country singer saw it on social media and commented, “LET’S FRIGGIN GO!!!!!!”
Watch that video below.
