Chris Wondolowski

The U.S. Soccer Team got knocked out of the World Cup on Tuesday but player Chris Wondolowski remains a hero to the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

Wondolowski's mother is Kiowa and he has many relatives in Oklahoma. They've been following his career and eagerly watched all of the U.S. games at the World Cup.

“He’s become a hero to the Kiowa tribe,” Keith Vasquez, a spokesperson for the tribe, told the Associated Press. “He has a following around the area that’s gaining more and more as time goes by, and I hope that it progresses more than it has so far.”

The tribe hosted its first soccer camp last year -- about 150 youth showed up. The second camp took place last month, on the day Wondolowski and the U.S. team played Portugal.

The tribe plans to create a soccer league next year.

Get the Story:
Wondolowski a hero to the Kiowa Tribe (AP 7/1)
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