Red, white and blue dominates Seattle as US men’s national soccer team comes to town

A sold out CenturyLink Field. Tens of thousands of rabid soccer fans from all over the country. Millions of TV viewers.

Imagine how crazy it would be around here if the Seahawks were in that situation today.

For soccer fans, it’s pretty comparable. The U.S. men’s national team plays what is arguably one of the biggest games in Seattle soccer history today, taking on Ecuador in the quarterfinals of the Copa America tournament in Seattle.

Related: USMNT vs Ecuador could be biggest match in Seattle soccer history

“It’s a great way to showcase Seattle … I think it’s an amazing opportunity,” said Matt Johnson, a Seattle-area native and the play-by-play voice of the Seattle Sounders FC.

Johnson has traveled the globe for big soccer events such as the World Cup. He says the Copa America is right up there.

“If you watch the Mexican crowds, it’s massive. They are getting 70,000-80,000 [people] at every one of their matches. And that’s where the U.S. should be. With this prestige and a few more victories under its belt, that’s where it could be,” Johnson said.

If you’ve ever been to or watched a Sounders game, you’ve seen the crazed Emerald City Supporters in the south end with their non-stop chanting, singing, jumping and flag waving.

There’s an even bigger group of rabid fans you’ll see Thursday night — the American Outlaws. The group is more than 10,000 strong who follow both the men’s and women’s national teams wherever they play.

Sean Kramer has driven over from Moscow, Idaho for the match. He says a win Thursday night could make history.

“This could be a game we look back at for years to come,” he said, both because it would be a major upset and because it would likely pit the Americans against Argentina, the top-ranked team in the world.

One of the great things about this tournament is the rare opportunity to see some of the best players in the world like Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who dazzled with his amazing ball handling skills in an all-too-brief second half appearance in Tuesday night’s 3-0 victory over Bolivia at CenturyLink Field.

“It’s like watching ballet. They’re beautiful to see. They’re all-star teams. And when they groove and find chemistry, it’s amazing to watch. It’s ballet … hopefully, they [fans] experience that because you don’t get to see it often,” Johnson said.

Check the latest COPA headlines

As far as how the U.S. stacks up, the Americans are definitely the underdog. Ecuador comes into Thursday night’s game ranked 13th in the world. The Americans 31st.

Original Sounders coach Alan Hinton – a longtime leader in the local soccer community – says the Americans are slowly catching up and our state is the center of it.

“The talent coming through is outstanding. The state of Washington produces more talent than any other state in the union.”

But Johnson admits we’re still a ways away from being able to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Argentina, Brazil, Germany and other global soccer powerhouses.

“It’s a huge process. It has to do with other outside entities. But if it’s my kids or my grandkids, that’s where it’s heading in America…it takes time,” Johnson said.

Check traffic conditions before and after the match

But we do have the likes of local standouts like Mercer Island native Jordan Morris of the Sounders, former Sounder D’Andre Yedlin who’s now playing in the English Premier League, and other young players who’ll one day lead the U.S. National Team.

One disappointing note about Yedlin: the Seattle-native will have to watch from the stands Thursday night. He’s ineligible to play in front of the hometown faithful after getting two yellow cards in the last game. But the 60,000 strong will get to see Sounders star Clint Dempsey among the American contingent, along with the millions of others watching from the United States to South America.

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