Jun. 19—Matthew Gleeson stood out in the sea of red, white and blue-clad soccer fans who gathered in the Gesa Pavilion Friday afternoon to watch the U.S. national team play their second match of the World Cup.
Gleeson, an Australian native who holds dual U.S.-Australian citizenship, was one of the few attendees among nearly 5,000 who were sporting a yellow-and-green jersey with "Australia" stitched down the side during the highly anticipated match between the two countries.
While he considered repping jerseys from both countries, Gleeson said he's learned to "always stay with your roots."
"I was born and raised in Australia, but I was very proud of how both teams performed, and, you know, I think the better team won," Gleeson said. "And I'm honorable enough to respect and acknowledge that."
The 2-0 victory sent the men's national team to the next round of the tournament, and the team could clinch the top spot in their group Friday evening with a Paraguay win or draw against Turkey. While hope is not lost for Australia, the team likely will need to win its match next week to remain alive in the tournament.