Former England star Danny Murphy has highlighted the differences between the USMNT fans in Seattle and Los Angeles.
The USA played their opening World Cup match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last week.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team then faced Australia in their second group-stage game, winning 2-0 at Seattle’s Lumen Field.
Murphy has explained why the supporters in Seattle were much more impressive than those in Los Angeles.
Danny Murphy spots key difference between USMNT fans in Seattle and Los Angeles
Everyone knows that football is not as popular in the United States as several other sports, such as basketball.
As a result, many fans were concerned that the atmosphere at the USMNT may not give them a significant home advantage.
This was not an issue in Los Angeles, as the USA beat Paraguay 4-1, but Murphy was not overly impressed by the crowd.
However, the noise inside Lumen Field for the Australia game on Friday was deafening from start to finish.
Murphy claimed there was more “excitement” in the stadium because the USA fans now have more “belief.”
“This is a step up from the opening game that we did in LA,” Murphy said on the BBC. “There’s more excitement. There’s more energy. There’s a belief that they can go far. They’re just so excited.
“It’s a far cry from what I anticipated. And the team deserve credit because they’re the ones who have created it in many ways with their performance on the pitch.
“Yes, you can question the opposition, but they’ve been brave. They’ve been on the front foot. They’ve been creative. They’ve made things happen. They’ve scored goals. Now they’ve set themselves a high bar.”
Who could blame the USA for dreaming about going all the way after two superb performances so far?
Their final group match against Turkey should be a good barometer of where they are at ahead of the knockout rounds.
But whatever happens in that game, Pochettino’s side will be optimistic that a quarter-final push is on the cards.
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