SEATTLE (AP) 鈥� U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino will throw out the first pitch before Friday night鈥檚 Major League Baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, which .
played catch with a few of his players before Friday鈥檚 practice at Husky Soccer Stadium. The U.S. plays Belgium in the on Monday at Lumen Field.
Pochettino has also joined tens of thousands of fans in . The 54-year-old coach, who was born in Argentina and lives in Spain, has fully embraced the American experience this summer.
U.S. forward , who was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Nigerian parents but raised in London, marveled at the opportunities he, his teammates and the coaching staff have been afforded.
鈥淚 think that sort of stuff can only happen in America. So, I鈥檓 very, very proud,鈥� Balogun said. 鈥淭his is a unique experience for me, being in the World Cup in your home nation. And, I think you鈥檙e seeing, we鈥檝e been able to be so focused, but, at the same time have so many things we can do to distract ourselves and to take our mind off the high-pressure environment. This evening will be another opportunity to do that.鈥�
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