Social media is absolutely flooded with the images, video and words showing a vibrant city and region full of the joys of our soccer heritage. The supposedly dying city of Seattle put on an exceptional show for the world’s game and once again is convincing USMNT players to consider the Sounders for their next stop.

None of that happens with a suburban stadium in Renton. None of it.

The championship banners in Lumen? They’d be gone, reducing the symbols of local soccer excellence from the TV feed.

All those packed local bars with their Sounders scarves, posters and kits? Gone.

This isn’t a hypothetical. Plenty of MLS teams are in metro areas hosting the World Cup. The other US MLS teams aren’t getting this kind of love. LA hosted a bigger US win, but that match experience was not an advertisement for the Galaxy or LAFC.

When Santa Clara hosts the Round of 32 match you are not going to hear a word about the 50-year-old San Jose Earthquakes. If the US advances to the semis in Arlington you won’t hear a peep about FC Dallas. If they make the final in East Rutherford the Red Bulls will be a footnote.

But when the world’s game comes to Seattle the Sounders are the conversation, because this team is in the heart of a city and region that loves it.

Ripping the Sounders away from these types of moments for revenue control while eliminating the free marketing to players and fans is laughable. Renton’s Legacy Square is doing a wonderful job for thousands of visitors a week. It is not Seattle. Nor is Southcenter’s shows in Tukwila.

Moments like Friday, the future Women’s World Cup matches and maybe even a US Round of 16 with hundreds of thousands of people experiencing Seattle’s soccer culture are only possible while soccer is a major tenant in a downtown stadium.

It’s why Don Garber praises the Sounders, and hardly ever mentions the flood of owners who built tiny houses in the burbs. “MLS isn’t what it is without the Sounders.”

The Sounders aren’t what they are without Lumen Field in Seattle. Full stop.

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Catching up on Sounder at Heart

Here’s what you missed on the site this week.

World Cup

Next Seattle match: Wednesday, June 24 between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar.

Sounders

Next match: July 16 hosting Portland Timbers during rivalry week.

Reign

Next match: July 4 at North Carolina

Defiance

Next match: June 21 vs Real Monarchs.

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Looking back at the news

Everything else you need to know

World Cup

NWSL and women’s soccer

Puget Sound and other stuff

SEATTLE — Soccer fans descended on Seattle’s waterfront well before kickoff Friday, staking out their spots early to watch a highly anticipated World Cup matchup at Seattle Stadium between the United States and Australia. That patience paid off as Team USA won the match and now advances to the knockout round.

The atmosphere at Pier 62 was electric from the start, with fans lining up for prime viewing positions, whether down on the water’s edge or taking in the sweeping scene from the waterfront overlook above.

“I mean, look at all these people that are here hours beforehand to celebrate this incredible game,” said Paul Hanson, who was rooting for Team USA. “The hairs are going up on the arm.”

The energy was a draw in itself.

“The energy is amazing, everyone’s in a great mood, it’s just a lot of fun to be down here,” Maggie McNeil said.

Not everyone in the crowd was wearing red, white, and blue.

Lizzie Manning hails from Melbourne, Australia, and is now living in the Pacific Northwest.

Manning told KOMO News she hasn’t been back home in nearly a decade, but taking in the U.S.A-Australia match with the waterfront crowd gave her a taste of it.

“Whenever I see another Australian I’m like, ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, oy oy oy,’” she said. “I feel so close to home. I need a meat pie, life’s good.”

“I’ve met so many people who are visiting from other countries,” Seattle resident Maddie Chaplain said. “I sat next to a couple yesterday who was eating dumplings for the first time from Argentina, that was so awesome.”

With Team USA advancing, fans like Aaron Olson say they’ll be back for more.

“USA’s gonna win it,” Olson said. “I will come down here every game. This is spectacular.”

The World Cup watch parties continue on Pier 62 throughout the tournament. They are free and open to the public with online registration, but capacity is limited.