I was rather late to the party when it comes to the beautiful game, but soccer is a sport I’ve grown to appreciate as a sports fan.
As a typical American, I grew up familiar with basketball, football, baseball, hockey, etc.
Then I remember during the the 2010 FIFA World Cup, United States’ Landon Donovan went viral on the Internet for his match-winning goal against Algeria to advance to the knockout rounds.
More so, I remember this video of people all over the country reacting to Donovan’s goal.
Whether they were watching at a local sports bar, at a viewing party or in their homes, people jumped and cheered. And soon after, the chants of “U.S.A! U.S.A!” followed.
That was my first taste of soccer fandom. That was when I was introduced to the United States men’s national team.
I remember how cool I thought that was, but I wasn’t a fan immediately. Fast forward to the 2014 World Cup, I was so hyped.
I read every preview story and watched as many YouTube videos related to the USMNT as I possibly could. I watched as many qualifying matches as possible. I couldn’t get enough.
If I remember correctly, I was home when I watched the United States’ opening match against Ghana. I remember when the Americans got the go-ahead goal on John Brooks’ header from a corner kick.
I, too, jumped up and cheered for our team. Just like that video of the people cheering Donovan’s goal, I cheered for Brooks’ game-winner.
I was excited when the US advanced to the knockout stage. Then I felt heartbreak when the US lost to Belgium in the Round of 16.
I especially hurt because Chris Wondolowski whiffed on a potential game-winner. As a native of San Jose, Calif., I’m a fan of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, and Wondolowski is the Quakes team captain.
(We still love you, Wondo.)
Fast forward to the qualifying for 2018, and again I felt heartbreak when the US failed to qualify — the first time since the 80s.
Ironically, last year I bought a US men’s soccer jersey in preparation of this year’s World Cup.
I was so excited when I snatched that jersey on eBay. I guess I’ll have to wait until next year for the FIFA Women’s World Cup to bust that bad boy out.
(Also, I watched every USWNT match from that 2015 tournament and was along for the ride as our team won it’s third World Cup. Well done, ladies. I hope you’ll repeat next year.)
So, as the 2018 World Cup is now underway in Russia, I have no matches to look forward to watching.
I’ll probably watch highlights now and then of goals scored by the world’s superstars — Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, etc. And, I’ll probably at the very least watch the finals.
But, it’s just not the same when your team isn’t in it. Sigh…
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Nick Celario can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
