The World Cup is now over.

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Eight matches. Six cities. Three countries. What a wild crazy five weeks this has been. It has been over a week since the World Cup Final in New Jersey, but all the images and memories and people I have met and friends I have made will stay with me forever.

I was all smiles carrying a beer around in the Supporters Club Section prior to the match.
It was cool to see Briana Scurry and Tony Meola speak about their goalkeeping days for the US team back in the 90s.

There honestly isn’t that much for me to add as far as thoughts. I know I have a lot of them including what could have been done better, but overall this was a joyful past five weeks for me and everywhere I went, I am glad that it was a safe hospitable environment for all the international guests that came over to experience this. A huge congrats to Spain for winning this World Cup. Throughout the tournament they proved to be the dominant team and it was great to see the best team in the tournament win.

I was walking to the stadium during the pregame ceremony and it was cool to see the fireworks from outside.
Eventhough the weather was a bit hot, it was still a beautiful day for football. I am glad the rain the day before cleared out all the smoke from local wildfires.

The overall atmosphere of the match was just great. I enjoyed hearing the different chants and songs of both the Argentinians and the Spaniards. I could feel the tension throughout the match and as a neutral fan it was a treat to see this go to extra time.

Alas, it was EspaƱa who was victorious in the end. Golden confetti for all.

It was a bit surreal to walk out of the stadium after the match had ended. I almost didn’t want this World Cup to end. Even a week later I am still in futbol mode and haven’t even transitioned back to the American sports landscape. I haven’t even thought about college football or my Georgia Bulldogs yet. I am sure this will change in the coming weeks.

One last glance at New York New Jersey Stadium before it gets converted to Metlife Stadium again
I got a glance at the Spain bus as I was leaving too.

I can definitely see myself attending the next World Cup in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. I really want to be fully fluent in Spanish by then. It’s time for me to stop being lazy about it and get to some serious work on my language skills.

And you gotta’ love bootleg merchandise. I got a scarf on my way out as well.

I had been watching the World Cup on TV for the past 36 years and it truly was a pleasure and a privilege to be in the middle of it and be an actual part of it these past five weeks. If there is anyting I have learned in my 46 years on planet Earth, it’s you have to embrace the moment and collect as many unique life experiences as you can. I know that sounds very cliche but it cannot be overstated.

I can’t wait until the next experience.