>> Eric: WE'RE NOT GOING TO DEBATE WHETHER THE PRESIDENT SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN INVOLVED IN WORLD CUP SOCCER CALLS, BUT WE ARE GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW THE GLOBAL GAME IS BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER -- EVEN LEGISLATIVE LEADERS WHO OUR NORWEGIAN AMERICAN POLITICAL REPORTER MARY LAHAMMER WATCHED A GAME WITH THIS WEEK IN A BIPARTISAN COLLABORATION.

[ CROWD CLAPPING ] >> THE WORLD CUP HAS CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF AMERICANS, INCLUDING POLITICAL LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE AISLE HERE IN MINNESOTA WHO ARE MITTEN WITH SOCCER.

>> I GREW UP PLAYING FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL, AMERICAN FOOTBALL AND HAVING SIX KIDS I FIGURED SOMEONE WOULD FOLLOW, SO OUR OLDEST BECAME VERY ATHLETIC AT A VERY YOUNG AGE.

ONE DAY HE COMES TO ME AND HE SAYS, DAD, AMERICAN FOOTBALL IS LAME.

AND IT WAS LIKE A KNIFE TO MY HEART.

HE SAYS I'M PLAYIN' SOCCER.

>> IT'S MY FAVORITE SPORT, SO.

YEAH, I PLAYED SOCCER WHEN I WAS A KID.

I WASN'T EVER VERY GOOD BUT I LIKED IT.

>> WHAT HAS IMPRESSED THIS REPUBLICAN AND EMOCRAT WHO GATHERED TOGETHER IN A SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS RESTAURANT IS HOW THE WORLD HAS EMBRACED AND UNITED OUR COUNTRY.

>> IT'S BEEN FANTASTIC.

I MEAN, I'M A LITTLE HOARSE BECAUSE I WAS SCREAMING AT THE TELEVISION LAST NIGHT AND THAT VERY DISAPPOINTING LOSS.

BUT I HAVE LOVED WATCHING THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN THE DIFFERENT FANS' EYES.

YOU KNOW, YOU SEE ON INSTAGRAM AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS PEOPLE SAYING AMERICA'S ACTUALLY GREAT!

WE CAME OVER BEING TOLD THAT THIS IS HORRIBLE OR THAT YOU'RE GONNA GET HELD UP AT EVERY TURN, WE LOVE YOUR FOOD, WE LOVE YOUR PEOPLE.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE ALEXIS DETOKEL, DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, 1835 CAME OVER AND TRIED TO SEE AMERICA THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS.

PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT AMERICA DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY HAVE.

♪ ♪ >> IT'S BEEN SUPER FUN TO WATCH THE GAMES.

REALLY FUN TO SEE EVERYBODY LOCALLY GET INTO IT.

BUT I'VE ALSO LOVED SEEING PEOPLE RECEIVE THE FANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE IN THE COUNTRY AND GET EXCITED, YOU SEE VIDEOS OF FOLKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY CHEERING WITH THE COLTISH FANS.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] >> AFTER ALL THE DIVISION AND LOSS THEY'VE SEEN IN POLITICS THIS SUMMER OF SPORTS IS REFRESHING.

>> WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS WE DON'T HATE EACH OTHER.

WE FIGHT LIKE CATS AND DOGS ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE DO.

BUT SOCCER IS THE WORLD SPORT, IT IS A GREAT UNIFYING EFFORT.

>> I THINK WE CAN ALL COME TOGETHER AND SAY THAT WE HATE FIFA AS AN INSTITUTION.

[ LAUGHTER ] >> AND V.A.R.

>> AND V.A.R.

[ LAUGHTER ] BUT WE LOVE SOCCER.

>> SCORES!

AGAIN!

NORWAY LEAD THE NORTHERN LIGHTS!

>> I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT NORWAY, ENGLAND WE'RE ALL ROOTING FOR NORWAY.

>> OH, NO, NO, NO.

[ LAUGHTER ] >> NORWAY'S SUCCESS IN THE WORLD CUP HAS PEOPLE EXCITED HERE AT NORWAY HOUSE IN MINNEAPOLIS, IN HENNEPIN COUNTY, WHICH HAS THE SINGLE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF NORWEGIAN AMERICANS IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES.

>> THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A NORWAY HOUSE HERE.

THERE ARE SO MANY NORWEGIANS THAT HAVE, AMERICANS THAT HAVE NORWEGIAN ANCESTRY AND SO WE HAVE A HOME HERE.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE THAT YOU CAN COME AND DO GENEALOGY RESEARCH, BECOME AN ANCESTRY INVESTIGATOR.

>> STATE FUNDING MATCHED PRIVATE DONATIONS FOR THE $22 MILLION EXPANSION WHERE YOU CAN PROBE HISTORIC FARM BOOKS, CHURCH DOCUMENTS, AND SHIP MANIFESTS TO FILL IN YOUR PAST.

>> SO THIS IS WHAT THE CENSUS RECORDS IN NORWAY WOULD LOOK LIKE.

>> I'M A DOCENT, IT MEANS I CAN MAYBE HANDLE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT CASES THAN SOME OF THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS.

>> AM I DIFFICULT CASE >> YOU'RE A DIFFICULT CASE.

>> WHY IS THAT?

>> I STARTED LOOKING INTO YOUR FAMILY A LITTLE BIT AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT KIND OF, I HIT A FEW WHAT WE CALL BRICK WALLS.

SOME OF THEM HAVE TO DO WITH THE NAME HOLLAND.

>> BECAUSE OF WORLD CUP SOCCER AND A VERY FAMOUS, WONDERFUL PLAYER, EHRLING HOLLAND, EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE RELATED TO HIM INCLUDING ME.

SO ARE WE?

IS IT POSSIBLE?

>> WELL, IT IS POSSIBLE.

I WOULD HAVE TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE RESEARCH THAN WHAT I'VE DONE, WHICH WAS JUST POKING INTO IT.

BUT IT SORT OF APPEARS TO ME THAT THEY'RE FROM DIFFERENT AREAS.

SO MY SUSPICION IS THAT MAYBE NOT, BUT I CAN'T RULE IT OUT.

>> FOOTBALL ROYALTY.

>> HE HAS DRAWN ON ALL OF OUR HEARTSTRINGS, WE ARE SO PROUD TO BE CALLED NORWEGIAN AND JUST WATCHING THIS HUMBLE TEEN BE SO ENERGETIC AND COME IN AND BEAT THESE PLAYERS, THESE COUNTRIES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GOING FURTHER, AND WE'RE SUCH A SMALL COUNTRY.

5.6 MILLION, I MEAN, WE'RE A SMALL NATION SO WE ARE DEFINITELY THE UNDERDOGS IN THIS WORLD CUP.

BUT WE'RE CHEERING THEM ON.

>> HAALAND, HE WANTS ANOTHER ONE!

HE'S GOT ANOTHER ONE!

HOW ABOUT THAT!

EXTRAORDINARY!

JUST PHENOMENAL!

>> NORWAY HOUSE IS FAMOUSNOT GINNER BREAD HOUSE DISPLAYS DURING THE HOLIDAYS BUT THE WORLD CUP HAS PEOPLE COMING OUT OF THE WOODWORK.

[ DRUMMING AND CHANTING ] >> NEARBY ENGEBRETSON'S NORDIC MARKET CAN HARDLY KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR NORWAY JERSEYS AS FANS LIKE TO ROW LIKE THE VIKINGS.

[ CHANTING, DRUMMING ] >> IT IS SO FUN, I THINK IT'S JUST BRILLIANT, YOU KNOW, THE CHANT AND THE ROWING AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF RELATABLE THINGS EVEN TO OUR SOCIETY HERE IN MINNESOTA WITH THE VIKINGS.

AND THE GOPHERS, SO I MEAN JUST FUN TO SEE HOW WE CAN MAYBE BRING THAT OVER HERE FOR FURTHER.

>> DO YOU PLAN SOMETHING MAYBE IN THE WORKS?

>> YEAH, WE ARE HOPEFULLY PLANNING SOME KIND OF ROW CHANT.

WE'VE DONE ONE IN SUNDID ALREADY BUT WE'RE HOPING TO DO ONE MORE BEFORE THE BIG GAME.

[ RUMMING AND CHANTING ]