At the World Cup, Gareth Bale and Wales Embrace the Games of a Lifetime
The World Cup will forever be known as the greatest ever, a statement that is never going to be questioned.
To truly understand this, you have to look past the surface, past the hyperbole of the tournament’s hype. You have to sit with the players. You have to feel the buzz of the country.
We had the players and their families there, at games against Mexico and the United States. Their kids weren’t going to have to put on sunscreen, but the wives were, and their daughters.
The World Cup will forever be known as the greatest ever, a statement that is never going to be questioned.
As we watched one team emerge triumphant, another team emerge like a fish, and as the buzz of the nation was in full flow, an incredible moment happened in the United States’ locker room.
They walked out of the dressing room after a score that made them look like a team at the height of its powers, with the USMNT on the verge of its first title in 30 years.
They were the team now on top, and they were now the team we were talking about as they were preparing for the World Cup.
But after the final whistle, with the United States just inches away from victory, there was an audible gasp in the locker room.
They were ready for the celebrations, but instead there was a palpable sense of shock and disbelief. They were left with the knowledge that their team had been the biggest of them all, but for how much longer?
And that’s when the questions came in. Why are you so disappointed? Why are you so disappointed after a win so close? Why are you so disappointed after a win so close?
From the outside, we had to wonder, why is this team even doing this?
They went through so many roster changes, and so many of the players’ names were no longer even known by fans. But what are we to make of this team that was once considered the best in the world?
When the players emerged in their red jerseys, we thought about the legacy they might have