I won’t talk talk about the team performance except to say it was atrocious and god awful and probably the worst moment in team history alongside 2018. Now that that is out of the way… It was my first time choosing to support the US National team at a World Cup. I watched from distance in 2014 and 2022, but I followed them since the last World Cup and slowly, almost subconsciously, found myself attached to the players and the team. They gave me joy for 4 games, absolute pride, and I was glad to celebrate it with friends. For the first time I think ever, I’ve realized how cruel football can be. But in a way, I’m so lucky to have loved something so much to feel this devastated because of it. To my European friends, not all Americans are like Trump or are so self-inflated. We don’t hate our neighbors, we don’t want to expel them, or are happy when corruption favors us. We simply want to love the same game you do and desperately want to feel the same joy and love for it that you have. So, I’m sorry for all the pain this country has caused the world. Most of us would give anything to fix it. For now, we just have football. I hope the sport grows here. It was really beautiful to see it flourish for a few weeks. Anyway, here’s to the boys who wore our colors. Here’s to the fans who celebrated and suffered. Here’s to the beautiful game. (Player of the match goes to Tillman for giving us a flicker of hope)