SANTA CLARA: Country Roads World Cup celebrations continued after the United States national football team beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0. As a result, the US reached the round of 16.
US players, staff and fans sang John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” after Wednesday’s match. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino joined the celebration as he hugged players and staff after the win.
Bill Danoff, who co-wrote the song with Taffy Nivert and Denver, told The Associated Press that he was honoured. He noted the US team had embraced it.
Danoff said Denver, who died in 1997, would have enjoyed watching the latest match. This was because the US won despite playing with a red card.
The John Denver estate told AP that it was “thrilled” by the song’s World Cup revival. They also said its message was not limited to West Virginia.
Read: Brazil vs United States: USWNT Win 1-0 Amid 8 Reds
The song was added to FIFA’s postgame playlist options to create a shared moment between the US team and supporters. This information was according to The Athletic.
It first appeared after the US beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle. Midfielder Weston McKennie later said players could feel the connection with the fans.
The song returned in force after Bosnia-Herzegovina’s win in Santa Clara. There, McKennie and Sebastian Berhalter joined fans in the post-match sing-along.
