‘The best city on the planet’: KIRO anchor on the magic of Seattle’s World Cup atmosphere

Leading up to and following the United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) 2-0 win over Australia on Friday, nearly every part of downtown Seattle was bustling with fans from near and far, celebrating and enjoying many aspects that the city has to offer.

One of the fans tooling around through the festivities was KIRO Newsradio anchor Aaron Granillo, who brought his wife and daughter downtown and joined Jake and Spike to recap his once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I took the day off, once-in-a-lifetime type stuff, and I took the wife and child,” Granillo said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “It was one of those moments where you’re just like, man, sports and community, and soccer in particular, because of this event, the global nature of it all, as well, on a Chamber of Commerce type day in Seattle, yeah, just like, man, this is what I came down here for. This is it.”

The day started with a USA playlist and ended with a believer in the family

Granillo explained how his day started with some classic rock hits that drew concerned looks from his child, but by the end of the day, she understood that his early-morning patriotism was more than a valid reaction after the day she spent downtown.

“My day started by telling Alexa to play a USA playlist for me. That’s how the day started in the house, with me singing Bruce Springsteen and Born in the USA, and my child looking at me like I’m some weirdo,” Granillo said. “But by the end of the day, she understood why Dad was so pumped in the morning. We took the light rail down there, and on the train was a woman decked out in USA gear, handing out stickers and glitter to everybody. A couple of Aussies are in there just having a good time.

“I was talking to the newsroom, like, if you’ve only been in Seattle for like the last four or five days, you’d probably think this is the best city on the planet,” Granillo continued. “I mean, it looks phenomenal. It really was phenomenal.”

Granillo’s favorite moment came during an impromptu soccer circle at Pier 62

Over the course of the day, Granillo narrowed down one specific fan attraction that stood out to him, and why a bit of community involvement ended up being his favorite part of the day.

“The best part of the day was actually going down to Pier 62, and man, the aquarium had fans packed on the rooftop, lining the stairs, every inch was covered with people,” Granillo said. “I will say, though, because there were so many people, it was actually tough to see the screen in front of the floating barge. Super fun though, because there was this sort of organic, and I guess this is a soccer thing, like a hacky sack circle, but with soccer balls.

“My kid got involved, I got involved, and again, people from all over the world, you know, 20-30 people in a circle, just kicking the soccer ball around while the match was playing in the background,” Granillo continued. “Then the USA’s second goal happened, and everyone’s fired up. Of course, the replay happened, and it was a lot of tension, but then an eruption.”

The USA will face Turkey on Thursday in its last group stage match before advancing to the knockout rounds, where its opponent has yet to be determined.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3