The U.S. Men’s National Team took a moment to speak to God in prayer after their FIFA World Cup win against Paraguay on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
The Americans’ four to one victory brought tons of attention to the team and Yahoo! Sports reported, “U.S. soccer had waited 32 years for this moment, a men’s World Cup back on home soil with a delicious opportunity to not only show progress on the field but to continue growing a sport that has yearned for a breakthrough chapter.”
Over 70,000 fans were in attendance when they won, and it was the seventh-largest crowd to witness the team in a World Cup match, the U.S. Soccer website read.
Not long after their victory, the team gathered on the field for a postgame prayer led by player Mark McKenzie, according to Sports Spectrum.
The clip showed the men gathered in a tight circle with their arms around one another as the crowd roared and music played:
Social media users were quick to share their reactions to the moment, one person writing, “May the testimony of Jesus Christ and His Gospel run throughout the entire world because of FIFA!”
“This is what I want to see. Seeking God and giving thanks to him,” another user commented, while someone else said, “Love love this!”
McKenzie recently talked about his Christian faith and how he loves telling people about Jesus Christ and the fact that he carries a Bible with him to prompt conversations with others, according to Premier Christianity.
He said, “God is my everything… He is the one I depend on for everything. He is the one who knows, knew all, yet still gives his all for me and requires so little.”
Other Christians on the team include Crystal Palace’s Chris Richards, Juventus’ Weston McKennie, New York City’s Matt Freese, and Christian Pulisic of AC Milan.