Team USA fans in Seattle erupt as Christian Pulisic scores the lone goal in the 1-0 World Cup win over Iran
Local soccer fans, who packed into the Seattle Center Armory, just about came unglued when Team USA put the ball in Iran’s goal in the 38th minute of their World Cup match.
Sam Urbin, a Marine Corps veteran on a visit from Connecticut, says that goal was of the unexpected variety. Sam says, “There’s always a lot of chances…shots on goal that, you know, look like they’re going to be pretty good and then they amount to nothing, but in this situation, I mean, Christian Pulisic…he just got a foot on it that didn’t look like it was going to go in, but because of his skill, he was able to position that right into the goal.
Sam says he chose to come out to the watch party because there’s something about the sport, especially during the World Cup, that makes the shared experience with other fans a lot more fun than watching from home.
That shared experience also included a protest at the event.
The deaths of Mahsa Amini and hundreds more Iranians protesting in the streets had Iranian-Americans at the watch party, saying the Iranian people wanted them to boycott the World Cup because of the violent ruling regime. An American-born Iranian who supports both teams tells Northwest Newsradio that he doesn’t begrudge the protest, but he doesn’t think the hatred should be aimed at the players, most of whom he says play in European leagues and will not return to Iran after the tournament ends. One thing for which both sides are grateful: that they’re in a place where everyone has a voice.
Meanwhile, some of Seattle’s sports elite are grateful that some of the matches for World Cup 2026 are coming here.
The first major event the Emerald City needs to prep for is Major League Baseball’s 2023 All-Star game, with plenty of work still to be done for businesses and the city, says Seattle Sports Commission president Beth Knox, “to make sure that the city is welcoming and safe and clean. All of those things are in progress right now.”
Peter Tomozawa, co-owner and president of business for Seattle Sounders FC, tells Northwest Newsradio they’re proud and excited that the city will take the world stage, which he says their Champions League win cemented. “You know, every other city can obviously say ‘we can promise that we can pull off an event like the Champions League final,’” Tomozawa says, “We actually were able to show that we could sell it out, that people would come and they would love to watch an international match.” Of course, hosting both All-Star and World Cup events will be a huge boost for local businesses.
