RENTON, Wash. – Paul Arriola was among the last players cut from the United States’ 2022 Men’s World Cup roster, leaving him with mixed emotions while watching that squad in Qatar.
Arriola was obviously happy for his friends – and current Seattle Sounders teammates – Jesús Ferreira, Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan, but also felt as though he deserved to be with them.
Four years later, Arriola is unburdened by such complicated emotions. But even then, he admits to being a bit swept up by the way the USMNT dismantled Paraguay in their opener. He’s particularly excited to watch them in person when they play Australia on Friday at Seattle Stadium.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” Arriola said following Wednesday’s training session at Longacres. “I was not expecting to be inspired like I am right now.
“It’s beautiful the way that the game can bring everyone together.”
Arriola explained how previous USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter would talk to his players about changing the way the world viewed American soccer.
“We have an opportunity to do that with all the eyes here,” Arriola said.
The USA took a massive step in that direction with their 4–1 win over Paraguay, almost certainly their most dominant performance on that big of a stage. Beyond the four goals, they were dominant in the way they built up and defended, while playing with the sort of confidence mostly reserved for the world’s top teams.
“It’s more exciting to watch because I see how involved everyone else is,” he said. “That brings me a lot of joy and I think that’s kind of what gets me excited.
“You go onto to social media after the game and everyone is talking about the U.S. These are the things, especially as American players, you’ve always wanted. It brings me a lot of joy.”
