USMNT look to Seattle "soccer culture" for boost vs. Australia

SEATTLE – If you’re familiar with his voice, it can be a little startling to hear it booming through the loudspeakers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

But that is indeed the sound of Cristian Roldan greeting travelers flocking to Puget Sound from around the planet in public-service announcements, delivered in both English and Spanish, at SeaTac, as the Emerald City rolls out the red carpet this month. Step onto a light-rail train, and you might also hear the voice of Megan Rapinoe welcoming World Cup visitors in similar fashion.

Seattle has long been a soccer town, dating back well before those two local heroes were even born. Yet there’s no circus quite like FIFA’s circus, and within that, it’s very difficult to top a host-country match like the one that will take place between the US men’s national team and Australia on Friday afternoon at the stadium formerly known as Lumen Field.

“I see the city ready for big games,” Roldan told reporters before the Yanks held their matchday-1 training session on a picture-perfect Cascadia morning at Husky Soccer Stadium on the University of Washington campus. “When I think back at MLS Cup, [Concacaf] Champions League final, Leagues Cup final, the tickets were sold out within a couple hours. And when you think about this game, this is probably the biggest game Seattle will probably have in terms of soccer.

“So I'm excited for the city to come out and show their energy. But this is a sports town, and they treat every big moment like that – like it's the World Cup final.”

On home soil 💜 Cristian and the USMNT trained at UW today ahead of tomorrow's match v. Australia!

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— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) June 18, 2026 at 12:59 PM

Roldan’s status as the city’s de facto soccer mayor is well-known within the USMNT – “oh yeah, all the boys, all the staff, they're asking me questions,” he confirmed on Thursday, revealing that Tacos Chukis tops his list of dining recommendations – and his stories have provided useful context for the many USMNTers who’ve rarely if ever visited the region, let alone played a match of this magnitude here.

“I've obviously spoken to Roldy” – yes, that’s what he’s widely called in national-team camp, to reduce confusion with some guy named Pulisic who’s been around the program a bit longer – “and other people who've said how much of a soccer culture Seattle has, and I'm really looking forward to experiencing that firsthand,” said US and Fulham wingback Antonee ‘Jedi’ Robinson on Wednesday.

“The first game that was played in that stadium [Belgium vs. Egypt] looked amazing, so I'm looking forward to being a part of it, too.”

Sebastian Berhalter can offer a different sort of endorsement, having been on the receiving end of Rave Green hostility in Cascadia Cup visits with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

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“They're loud when we're there, so it should be amazing,” he said earlier in the week. ‘They're super loud, even when the stadium is not 100% full. We're expecting hopefully a great crowd, and yeah, I just can't wait to see – it gets loud in that stadium, so I'm pumped up.”

Weston McKennie is actually a local of sorts; he was born in Fort Lewis, south of Tacoma, while his father John was in the army, though the family soon moved on to Texas, Germany and other points even further afield due to military life.

With USMNT visits few and far between, thanks to myriad factors ranging from travel logistics to the much-critiqued artificial turf currently underneath the lush grass pitch installed at Lumen for the summer, Friday marks McKennie’s first taste of this hotbed.

“Roldan has always told me that this fan base has been amazing,” said the Texan. “Clint [Dempsey] has been here in the past, you have Roldan, you have Jordan Morris, all these guys that have been here, and I'm sure it's for a reason.

“It's a huge fan base here, and I'm excited to see what it's like. I've never been here with the national team before, and yeah, hopefully it's similar to SoFi or better.”

Proud Seattle partisans may take note of that last bit.

The Yanks have been raving about the vibes in their 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay at gleaming SoFi Stadium (officially renamed ‘Los Angeles Stadium’ for this tournament, thanks to FIFA’s unyielding determination to deny any free exposure to corporate sponsors not on their own list), with Robinson calling it “an incredible atmosphere … one of the most fun games I've played in since I've been playing for the States.”

That offers a measuring stick for Cascadians keen to make a loud impression in this clash of Group D’s early leaders, which has taken on extra spice thanks to Australian media who’ve latched onto a few dismissive comments about their side from US pundits Alexi Lalas and Mike Grella.

The latter earned the rather incredible title of “the Socceroos’ biggest hater” in one blaring headline down under, and the simmering subplot could well add an even nastier edge to what already figured to be a ruggedly physical affair.

The Yanks hope Lumen’s famed waves of noise provide them a vital boost.

“I've told them that the city is ready, that the city is energized,” said Roldan of his message to teammates. “We haven't had a game here in a long time, and we've been desperate to host a World Cup game, a US men's national team game, so they're going to feel the crowd, feel the energy, and it's about feeding off it.

“It's incredible how many kids are playing soccer here,” he added when asked to explain the city’s love of the sport. “When you look at our roster here in Seattle, it's all homegrown kids, kids that grew up here, that watched Seattle through and through through their history. So it is ingrained in our culture, and it's a beautiful thing to see.”