‘I Got Chills’: Megyn Reacts to Team USA’s Stirring Patriotism at the World Cup

4 min read
AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Whether you are a soccer fan or not, there is no denying World Cup fever – especially given how well the U.S. Men’s National Team has been playing.

Team USA earned its first knockout round victory in more than two decades Wednesday night when it gritted out a gutsy 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina after losing star striker Folarin Balogun to a controversial red card in the sixty-fourth minute.

And in what has become a chill-inducing tradition this World Cup, the fans, players, and coaches celebrated post-match with a stirring singalong to the 1971 John Denver hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Watch: 

Feel-Good Fellowship

While Megyn and her guest on Thursday’s Megyn Kelly Show Maureen Callahan, both admitted they have not been following the World Cup that closely, they couldn’t get enough of the patriotic display.

“We did have the USA game last night because, of course, everybody was into it. My family’s into it, and they apparently have now a new tradition of playing ‘Country Roads’ at the end of the USA soccer games,” Megyn noted. “I got a chill [watching it].”

Callahan agreed. “Man, I love this stuff… It is sports at its best. It is unifying. It is people from all walks of life. It is why the Knicks were so galvanizing and energizing [in New York last month],” she shared. 

The collective moment, in her view, speaks to an important – and resurgent – dynamic. “I feel like there is this renewed appreciation now between athletes, performers, anyone in a live event, and the fans in the crowd,” Callahan explained.

“We saw this during COVID when they would allow sports to continue, but there could be… no fans. I think everybody kind of realized that it is a mutually beneficial relationship,” she continued. “The players feed off that stuff… and when you see those players on the field after the win, raising their arms, going, ‘Yes, yes, keep singing, we’re in this together,’ that’s what that is. It’s so great.”

Soundtrack of Our Lives

And then there is the significance of the song choice. Prior to the start of the tournament, FIFA asked all countries to submit a list of songs that could be played during their matchups. The songs would be used for pregame warmups, goals, and after wins.

The U.S. reportedly sent in a few options, including the John Denver classic, Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said the team wanted a soundtrack that was “both representative of American artists and would be great singalongs for the crowd.”

“Sweet Caroline” was a no-go because England also wanted the song; “Livin’ on a Prayer” has gotten plenty of play the last month; but it is “Take Me Home, Country Roads” that has emerged as the post-match favorite after this remarkable moment following the U.S. win over Australia last month. Watch:

“I feel like if we have a national soundtrack for America, John Denver is at the top of the list,” Megyn said. “He has such an important role in my own life. I cannot hear John Denver music without tearing up.”

She shared Denver’s music featured prominently in her childhood, with her late dad often playing his songs on his guitar. “We’d go camping when I was a kid… and we’d rent these… beat-up cabins… and we’d go out around the campfire at night and my dad would play his guitar,” Megyn recalled. “He played Neil Diamond too, but mostly John Denver songs. ‘Country Roads’ and also that song ‘Today,’ which brings me to tears whenever I hear it. I think about my dad whenever I hear it.”

Megyn and her dad

Megyn said the songs took on an even greater meaning after she lost her sister Suzanne in 2022. “After my sister died a couple of years ago, suddenly, I got in the car the day of her funeral – and of course it was an emotionally charged day already – and I turned the car on and the radio comes on and John Denver [was playing],” she shared.

“She and I used to cry about my dad listening to John Denver, and we had so many sweet memories to John Denver, and there is no doubt in my mind that was my sister talking to me, like saying ‘I’m okay, and you’re going to be okay too,'” Megyn added.

That history, she noted, makes these heartwarming moments between Team USA and their supporters all the more special. “I just love that our team was asked to do this, and I love that they are leaning into the music,” Megyn concluded. “For this song to be the song that our team chose just feels [right].”

You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Callahan by tuning in to episode 1,352 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.

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