Pochettino likens USA's roaring Seattle crowd to Argentina's iconic fan base after 2-0 win

Mauricio Pochettino hailed the United States men’s national team’s supporters as world-class after a 2-0 victory over Australia at Seattle Stadium on Friday, going as far as comparing them to Argentina’s famously passionate fan base.

“Amazing. I was just saying yesterday Argentina have amazing fans, but I think we are matching Argentina,” Pochettino told Jenny Taft pitchside. “It’s amazing, our fans. So happy for them.”

The atmosphere inside Seattle Stadium was extraordinary enough to be measurable. When Alex Freeman’s goal put the USA 2-0 up and effectively sealed the result, the noise from the crowd registered as a seismic tremor — an occurrence Seattle sports fans will recognise from Marshawn Lynch’s playoff touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints in 2011, and more recently from Rashid Shaheed’s kickoff return against the San Francisco 49ers in this past postseason’s divisional round.

As the final whistle sounded, the crowd broke into a rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, with the players joining in from the pitch. Supporters then serenaded Pochettino himself with chants of his name, visibly moving the Argentine coach.

“Even if I’m not American, after the game, I was emotional because the atmosphere was amazing,” Pochettino told reporters. “The warm reception and the way they support us and celebrate everybody — they make it feel very emotional. And the players, they were very emotional, too. I think it was an amazing and perfect connection and energy from this town and the team. They make us very proud.”

The win also carried tangible significance beyond the occasion. The result secured the USA’s place in the round of 32, a meaningful early milestone for a host nation building momentum ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil.

Pochettino was clear about why that supporter connection matters beyond sentiment. “If we want to achieve good things, we need the support from our fans,” he said. “Fans here in Seattle, and in the rest of the country, are supporting us and we feel that support. That’s amazing for the team.”