USA soccer fans go wild for spine-tingling national anthem as World Cup fever kicks off in LA
American soccer fans were left misty-eyed ahead of the USMNT’s opening World Cup match; country stars Dan + Shay performed a stirring rendition of the national anthem at SoFi Stadium.
More than 70,000 fans packed the Inglewood, Calif., stadium for the USA’s opening game against Paraguay on Friday night, and the crowd also treated Katy Perry to an opening ceremony before kickoff.
Before attention turned to the sport itself, country music couple Dan + Shay (real names Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) took the stage to perform the Star-Spangled Banner.
And their excellent performance left fans feeling patriotic as the entire country got behind Mauricio Pochettino’s team in the biggest match of all time.
‘This was amazing,’ one fan wrote. ‘Hearing the crowd singing… gets me caught up in my emotions. Go to the USA!’
Another added: ‘Great job! AMERICA! AMERICA!’
It’s been 32 years since America hosted the World Cup, but the world’s greatest sport is now back on US soil.
Once the game started, Dan + Shay’s pregame performance seemed to have the desired effect; The USA took the lead within seven minutes.
The audience was excited when Paraguayan Damian Bobadilla accidentally threw the ball into his own goal, giving America a 1-0 lead.
