The last time the US Men's National Team won a knockout game in the World Cup was 24 years ago--exactly half my life ago.
2002: I'm living in Chicago, working at Booklist Magazine. I've just begun to recover from what used to be called a nervous breakdown. I was out of the hospital, living on my own in a furnished studio apartment that my parents had found. I only had one bill to pay every month--it included my phone (landline), utilities, and rent.
I was paying that bill. I was beginning to feel for the first time like I might be able to survive adulthood--despite the heartbreak and my overall low level of functioning.
I woke up at 2 or 3 AM to watch the World Cup each day. I've loved the World Cup ever since 1994, when my dad took me to a game the first time the tournament was hosted by the U.S. I remember watching alone in the middle of the night as we beat Mexico to make the quarterfinals. I was ecstatic. That team wasn't particularly fun to watch, but we ground out results.
Today, 24 years later, the USMNT won a knockout game again, and this team IS fun to watch. They play with speed and heart.
My life is very different. I have more than one bill each month. My house has more than one room. I have a spouse and kids and work I love. The days now can be very hard, too, but in a different way.
The joy I feel tonight is almost identical to the joy I felt 24 years ago, except I am no longer alone in it. After all, community is one thing sports can bring you. But also, football lets me feel pure and simple emotion in a world where nothing is pure or simple. And today, that pure and simple feeling is gratitude.
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