Well done US, but god France are frustrating to watch. Waited too long to make an changes, seemed clueless at times, wish they had made it through instead tbh. Semi-final will hopefully be a good game.
Same IG account name as my username here - @DerekIsAGooner. Check out my story for pictures and videos from the match. It’s currently 5am(ish) in Paris and I can’t sleep because it’s hot AF here. Let me work on a write up and I’ll post it here when I get the chance.
Fuck yes! I was able to go all night with no spoilers and I just finished watching. This might have been one of the best USA performances I’ve ever seen. Tobin’s pass to Rapinoe on the second goal was *chef’s kiss*
The bit about the segregation of the prison system leading her brother down a racist path was especially heartbreaking. The justice system in this country is so fucked up. Obviously he is still responsible for his own decisions. But really feels like the system not only actively failed to do its job in dealing with her brother but it actually made things far worse.
To see so many Americans in another country is one of the strangest, most oddly exhilarating feelings I’ve ever had. Yesterday’s match was such a strong reminder that the USWNT has a devoted legion of followers who will travel the globe in order to support the team. Yesterday’s match began for us at the American Outlaws “tailgate.” The tailgate was really a meetup at an outdoor bar. On the Facebook event page around 125 people RSVP’d, so that’s about what I was expecting. That was not the case. We easily had anywhere from 500-1000 people there, which was an absolute trip being surrounded by so many Americans so far from home. The beers were flowing, the moral was high, and the DJ was spinning American-themed classics such as “Born in the USA” and “Country Road.” It only took about five minutes for my wife and I to make friends - a father dressed in Dodgers gear attending with his teenage daughter. Being Dodger fans, we struck up a conversation and we were all instantly buddies. We spent about two hours at the meetup, talking with our new friends, having some drinks, and talking about the day’s match. Despite French media portraying France as the favorites, most people I spoke with were quite optimistic for the USA. It also seemed split in how long people had been in France. About half of the American supporters arrived for the group stage and would be leaving after the quarterfinals, and the other half just arrived for the quarterfinals and would be staying through the final in Lyon. The flight we had from Los Angeles had dozens of us on it just for the quarterfinal match. We weren’t even planning on making this match. My wife and I have tickets to the semi finals and final in Lyon, but after the USA v France match was confirmed we knew that we had to be there. Long story short, I knew someone already in France who had one spare ticket. Through Facebook searching and tons of messaging I found a second. After meeting up with my friend at the tailgate to pick up our second ticket, it was time for the march. I don’t know how to describe to you what it looks like to see hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans march the mile and a half from the bar to the Parc des Princes on the Paris city streets. My suggestion is to find the American Outlaws livestream of the march. The march took a little over half an hour, and getting into the stadium was fairly easy, even though we accidentally walked entirely the wrong way around the stadium to our gates. Security was thorough yet efficient - it was the closest pay down I’ve ever had. Once inside, we went to our seats. My seat was down near one of the corner flags in the fifth row, and hers was up in the top section of the stadium (the plan was the switch places at halftime. I didn’t try and screw her out of the good seat). My section was filled with more American supporters than French supporters. However, the entire stadium felt about 3/4 French and 1/4 American. French fans, for the most part, were pretty respectful toward us. I didn’t see nor receive any fights/violence, name calling, or any sort of hostility. The only negativity was the standard booing of opposing players and referee decisions against the French. The match itself... I cried when Rapinoe scored. I cried when she scored again. My heart rate went through the roof when France pulled one back, and I’ve never checked my watch so frequently as I did those final 10 minutes plus stoppage. Easily the loudest moment of the match was when the French scored, but at the final whistle all I could hear were American cheers echoing through the stadium. Yesterday’s match was a priceless experience. It’s already one of the most cherished experiences I’ll ever have, regardless of how the tournament ends. Although I’ll spend the next few days exploring more of Paris and then on to Lyon, I’m already counting down the minutes until kickoff with the English. There’s genuinely nowhere else in the world I’d rather be for these next two weeks.
Hahaha, yeah. I’m a part of a fun cosplay group that does events around Southern California (hospital visits, races, and other things). Spidey is my go-to outfit. I actually would have been at the “Spider-Man Far From Home” Premiere (our cosplay group got invited to attend) if it weren’t for this trip, but it was the same day I flew out to Paris.