SEATTLE — Members of the United States national team were slated to gather Saturday night with family and friends atop a downtown rooftop here to watch the fireworks burst from barges over Lake Union.
There was to be barbecue and laughter, maybe even a quiet moment to appreciate that they are spending America’s 250th birthday in the middle of the biggest sporting event on the planet.
Then it will be back to work.
Monday’s Round of 16 showdown against Belgium is the biggest match this generation of American players has ever faced. Yet perhaps the most compelling thing about this team isn’t what it has accomplished on the field. It’s what it represents beyond the touchlines.
The U.S. arrives at this Fourth of July celebration at a time when Americans often seem to agree on very little. The national team is no different in its makeup. This 26-man roster spans generations, backgrounds and life experiences. They come from different cultures, faiths and corners of the soccer world.
Yet they are united by one jersey.
“It’s doubly special because it’s during the World Cup, and triple special because it’s here in the U.S.,” said veteran team captain Tim Ream. “We’ve said this as a group — with all our different backgrounds, where we’ve all grown up — it’s a true representation of what America is. It’s a melting pot of people, of personalities, of characters. It’s a perfect representation of what the U.S. is and what it’s about.”
Ream laughed that celebrating July Fourth always felt different during his years in England playing in the Premier League for Fulham.
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“A lot of people don’t actually know why we celebrate the Fourth. Which is crazy to me, since they were a big part of why we celebrate,” he joked. “For me it’s barbecue, family, fireworks and celebrating what it means to have freedom.”
For one evening here, those traditions remain intact.
On Monday, though, the fireworks the United States hopes to remember won’t come from the sky. They’ll come from inside Seattle Stadium, where a team built on different stories will chase the same dream: reaching the quarterfinals for just the second time in its history.
