Take me home: why Country Roads has struck a chord at the World Cup

Lumen Field was designed for a moment like Friday’s. Under a blue sky dotted with clouds, the US men’s national team celebrated their victory over Australia with a lap around the stadium to thank their fans for creating a worthy atmosphere.

I’ve reported from four matches so far at this World Cup and the set list remains largely the same, no matter the venue. You’ll hear Dai Dai and Seven Nation Army. The growing boos that accompany the onset of a hydration break will be drowned out by Livin’ On A Prayer.

After the game is where the venues can play their own favorites. In Vancouver, that meant Freed From Desire. On Friday, Seattle opened the Great American Songbook and turned to one of its most weathered pages: Take Me Home, Country Roads.

The song has, of course, been belted out by soccer fans around the world before. We can’t say for certain that Seattle was trying to reclaim the song for the co-hosts, but the reaction from fans, who sang along in unison, and players, who soaked in the moment, has driven home that it ought to be a staple at US games.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better artist to use for this purpose than John Denver. He’s a familiar figure across these 50 states, one of the first musicians schoolchildren are introduced to, a smiling soul flanked by mountains and the Muppets. My grandparents knew the song well. So, I’ve been told since Friday’s game, do my niece and nephews. It has endured since Denver’s tragic death in 1997.

There are credible covers of Country Roads. Olivia Newton-John helped the song stick in the UK: her version did better in the charts there than Denver’s had. Lana Del Rey’s recent cover pushes the concept of dirt roads to the brink of eroticism. But none have ever outshone the original, for good reason: nobody can match Denver’s heart.

Denver was a fierce advocate for hunger relief, nature conservation, and global peace. For many, there’s a sense of relief that the songs you know by heart were written by someone with such a worldview.

Utopian, yet quintessentially American. These concepts weren’t always at odds. A World Cup has the rare power to get people of diverse backgrounds to unite – “Of all the unimportant things, football is the most important” as the expression goes. In the hours before the US kicked off their games against Paraguay and Australia, it wasn’t hard to spot handshakes and toasts of ludicrously overpriced lager between opposing fans.

Which is where the simplicity of Country Roads becomes quite clever, distilling that complex and cosmopolitan worldview to its briefest mission statement in unapologetic crescendo: Take me home to the place I belong. The same promise that pulled all of our immigrant ancestors stateside, that my colleagues from abroad are relieved to still recognize as they go about their coverage, soundtracked and sung at the height of the chorus.

That dovetails nicely with how this US team has comported itself when asked about the real-world stuff; situations in which US national teams in other sports have become polarizing . The US won men’s hockey gold at the Winter Olympics, unleashing a wave of joy. But it was quickly tarnished when some of the players laughed at Donald Trump’s joke about the women’s team. Meanwhile, at this year’s World Baseball Classic the US team based their campaign around a joyless militarism while other teams danced, drummed and sipped espressos in the dugout.

This World Cup team seems different though. An hour after making his World Cup debut, Auston Trusty was asked about the importance of a successful tournament at “a divisive time in this country.” After taking a beat to check his words, the Celtic defender leaned into a mantra the team has repeated over the last few years.

“Obviously, we can only control what we do on the pitch, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Trusty said. “Our mindset is to inspire the next generation, and that’s the main goal. That’s what we’re trying to do, and strive to do, and hopefully we can achieve that.”

Some may dismiss the philosophy as apolitical cowardice. Yes, there’s an appetite and need for athlete advocates, but not everyone has the charisma and eloquence of Muhammad Ali, Megan Rapinoe or Jackie Robinson. Sometimes it’s better to concentrate on bringing joy and uniting fans – making them feel they belong – than talking about topics you may not fully grasp.

And this US team are a group who seem to be fueled by vibes, a couple of dozen aura farmers who are enjoying stable careers and budding star status. As Country Roads blared throughout “Seattle Stadium” on Friday, players took their time leaving the field. Many joined in the song, singing and clapping every time the chorus came around. For a team that’s rallying a fanbase that grows by the day, it was a fitting sendoff before returning to California for their next match.

The vibes were immaculate. There are few more positive experiences than belting Take me home/to the place I belooooooong with tens of thousands of others. May the emcees at the US’s future matches at this World Cup - there will be at least two more – take note.