{"id":6297,"date":"2026-07-02T23:35:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6297"},"modified":"2026-07-02T23:35:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:35:57","slug":"how-country-roads-became-the-soundtrack-of-the-us-teams-world-cup-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6297","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018Country Roads\u2019 became the soundtrack of the US team\u2019s World Cup run"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

By R.J. RICO<\/p>\n

It\u2019s become one of the enduring scenes of the U.S. team during this World Cup: jubilant U.S. players joining tens of thousands of fans in singing John Denver\u2019s \u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads\u201d at the end of their matches.<\/p>\n

Read more Ex-Olympia High star Chris Johnson seeking revival of Ice Bucket Challenge as he fights ALS<\/a><\/p>\n

Even coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was born in Argentina and lives in Spain, got in on the act after Wednesday\u2019s 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, belting out the words to Denver\u2019s anthem as he hugged his players and staff members.<\/p>\n

The John Denver estate told The Associated Press that it is \u201cthrilled\u201d by the song\u2019s latest revival at the World Cup, saying \u201cCountry Roads\u201d has endured because its message transcends geography, and that its \u201csimple, clear, and relatable\u201d lyrics make it perfect for a sing-along.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows what \u2018Take me home to the place I belong\u2019 is about,\u201d the estate said Thursday. \u201cIt\u2019s not limited to West Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how a song inspired by a Maryland drive became a World Cup anthem.<\/p>\n

The song has its origins in Maryland, not West Virginia<\/h4>\n

Despite the lyrics\u2019 heartfelt embrace of West Virginia, \u201cCountry Roads\u201d cowriter Bill Danoff has said the inspiration for the song came from a drive he and his then-wife, cowriter Taffy Nivert, took along Maryland\u2019s winding Clopper Road to attend a family reunion in Gaithersburg, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of the West Virginia border.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just started thinking, country roads, I started thinking of me growing up in western New England and going on all these small roads,\u201d Danoff told Washington\u2019s WRC-TV in 2020. \u201cIt didn\u2019t have anything to do with Maryland or anyplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

At the time, Danoff hadn\u2019t spent considerable time in West Virginia. He was familiar, though, with Appalachian music broadcast from Wheeling, West Virginia\u2019s famous WWVA radio station, which he listened to while growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts. Danoff said he was also inspired by the West Virginia-born actor Chris Sarandon, as well as the West Virginian members of a commune who would frequently attend his gigs.<\/p>\n

Danoff said he and Nivert were planning to try to sell the song to Johnny Cash, but when they played an unfinished version one night in their apartment for their friend John Denver, the singer-songwriter convinced them to let him record it instead. The song, released in 1971, turned into Denver\u2019s biggest hit and has been a mainstay for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know all of the ways that song must have touched people, but I\u2019m grateful that I have somehow been able to say something that has meaning for others,\u201d Denver wrote years later. Denver died in a plane crash in 1997.<\/p>\n

\u2018Country Roads\u2019 finds a new stage at the World Cup<\/h4>\n

According to The Athletic, FIFA officials added \u201cCountry Roads\u201d to its postgame playlist options in hopes of creating a shared moment between the U.S. team and its supporters.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It made its debut at the end of the U.S.\u2019s second match as the players celebrated their 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle. The song was an immediate hit both inside the stadium and on social media, as fans embraced the scenes of U.S. players waving to fans as they sang the lyrics. <\/p>\n

Read more Lionel Messi and Argentina await Cape Verde in the round of 32 at the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou could feel the connection with the fans,\u201d midfielder Weston McKennie told reporters after the match.<\/p>\n

John Denver\u2019s song didn\u2019t get quite the same reception on June 25 at Los Angeles Stadium, as it came after a deflating, though insignificant, last-minute U.S. loss to Turkey.<\/p>\n

But it came back in force Wednesday evening in Santa Clara, California, as the U.S. defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina to advance to the round of 16. Perhaps none were more enthusiastic than midfielders McKennie and Sebastian Berhalter, who swung their arms wildly as they wandered around the field while singing to the fans.<\/p>\n

During matches not involving the U.S. team, the song has frequently been played during hydration breaks and has also been met with roaring approval from fans who, moments previously, had been booing the start of each hydration break.<\/p>\n

\u2018Country Roads\u2019 has long been a sports staple <\/h4>\n

It\u2019s hardly the first time that \u201cCountry Roads,\u201d has been used by sports fans. It has long been a mainstay at West Virginia University football games, where Mountaineer fans serenade the team after its home victories.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s even found a home in Europe, where fans have been singing it during the NFL\u2019s annual visit to Germany since the first game in Munich in 2022. Fans there were used to singing the song during Oktoberfest celebrations.<\/p>\n

And, in the English Premier League, Manchester United supporters years ago tweaked the words to sing about their own \u201chome\u201d \u2014 Old Trafford stadium.<\/p>\n

England\u2019s players have their own sing-along<\/h4>\n

While \u201cCountry Roads\u201d is the U.S.\u2019s unofficial anthem, the England national team during this tournament has similarly adopted Oasis\u2019 \u201cWonderwall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing in a line, arms around each other\u2019s shoulders, the English players sang the 1995 hit after their 4-2 opening victory against Croatia, something that captain Harry Kane said was \u201cone of my favorite ever moments in an England shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Spain knocks out Austria, but U.S. and Mexico fans are celebrating<\/a><\/p>\n

The team has been repeating the post-match tradition after each match since. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

See more of AP\u2019s World Cup coverage here <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By R.J. RICO It\u2019s become one of the enduring scenes of the U.S. team during this World Cup: jubilant U.S. players joining tens of thousands of fans in singing John Denver\u2019s \u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads\u201d at the end of their matches. Even coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was born in Argentina and lives in Spain, [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,6,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sports","category-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nHow \u2018Country Roads\u2019 became the soundtrack of the US team\u2019s World Cup run - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6297\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How \u2018Country Roads\u2019 became the soundtrack of the US team\u2019s World Cup run - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By R.J. 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