Players of the United States warm up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between the United States and Australia at Seattle Stadium on June 19, 2026, in Seattle, Washington. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
By Joe Saunders June 21, 2026 at 6:56am
The United States men’s soccer team is using the World Cup to demonstrate their faith to the world.
After a crucial 2-0 win over Australia on Friday, the team gathered in the center of Lumen Field in Seattle for what was evidently a huddle of prayer — led by one of its most outspoken believers.
And the whole world was watching.
They’ve made their country proud
The @USMNT huddle after defeating Australia 2-0 to make the knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup pic.twitter.com/okIKFDuowU
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 19, 2026
At the center of the circle was Mark McKenzie, a defender and very public espouser of the Christian faith, on a team that already has no shortage of the faithful.
Mark Mckenzie lead the USA team in prayer after playing Australia. pic.twitter.com/4JTvbMteTX
— Ballers In God (@BallersinGod) June 19, 2026
Have you watched either of the U.S. World Cup games?
Reflecting on his own career recently in a YouTube interview with the faith and sport site Sports Spectrum, the 27-year-old McKenzie made his perspective clear.
“We’re not doing this for the money,” he said. “We’re not doing this for anything besides glorifying God, right? You are a vessel for Him.”
Friday’s win for the team — coming a week after a 4-1 victory over Paraguay — was a historic accomplishment. As the New York Post reported, the American national team had not won two consecutive matches since the tournament started in 1930.
As ESPN’s Sam Borden noted — if a little skeptically — the win also opened the slightest window of hope that the U.S. men’s team could actually win the whole thing.
But these players might be doing something more important.
On “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday, Jesse Bradley, a former professional soccer player turned pastor, praised the players’ prayer as “inspiring our nation.”
FOX FIFA WORLD CUP: @JesseJBradley celebrates after the USMNT wins over Australia! Bradley, who was doing ministry outside the stadium, spoke about the importance of faith to the team as players gathered in prayer following the victory. pic.twitter.com/SQasQ4wuxm
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) June 20, 2026
“When you see the team pray together, you see their heart,” he said.
For most Americans, soccer news in the past decade has been dominated by the women’s national team and its excruciatingly annoying leader Megan Rapinoe — an embarrassing squad of ingrates far more likely to kneel during the national anthem than to kneel in prayer after a match.
But at this year’s World Cup, they’re seeing a men’s soccer team that isn’t shy about its confidence in itself — but more importantly, isn’t ashamed of demonstrating its faith in a God greater than itself.
That might be especially important in a year when the U.S. is playing co-host to the international tournament, but regardless of where the games are taking place, there are few better ways to make the whole country look good — with the whole world watching.
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Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro desk editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He’s been with Liftable Media since 2015. Largely a product of Catholic schools, who discovered Ayn Rand in college, Joe is a lifelong newspaperman who learned enough about the trade to be skeptical of every word ever written. He was also lucky enough to have a job that didn’t need a printing press to do it.
Birthplace
Philadelphia
Nationality
American
