The US lost to Belgium, and the World Did Not End for Some

America was eliminated from the World Cup, and emotions were mixed

Photo by Alef Morais on Unsplash

There were plenty of culprits to blame in the aftermath of the disappointing United States’ 4–1 loss to Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Most accused referees, suspension of a star player and subsequent reinstatement, uninspired play by the US team, the weather, newly mandated water breaks, and even — our president.

Our watch party

We were a wide assortment of sports fans. Pretty much everyone has a favorite pro baseball, football or basketball team. Soccer has not quite yet gripped the imagination of the American public. Hosting the World Cup gave the game the notoriety that juiced many who weren’t familiar with the sport to pay attention to its merits as a non-stop action competition.

Many of us at the watch party were ex-players, some even coaches at the lower youth level, a few of the women could be called “soccer moms” hauling their children to practices during the week and dedicating weekends to games in various parts of the country.

Yes, the game of soccer was rapidly capturing the interest of the good citizens in the United States!

Except, maybe, for Mildred and Harold Willis.

The cast

Our watch party was a gathering of folks, many retired and the rest who’d like to be. All of whom had a liking for other humans and could easily use the game as an excuse to join fellow residents watching the playoff on the giant TV in the condo’s rec room.

Mildred and Harold

Mildred was an extrovert who talked a lot but said little. I think she had a part-time job at Walmart. I’d never seen her when I went shopping there, but some of the others I knew had sightings.

Harold, on the other hand, was an introverted quantum physics professor who taught introverted students who were highly analytical enough to have an interest in such an esoteric course of study.

I don’t believe I’ve ever heard Harold utter a complete sentence. He’s so detached from the normal flow of conversation. He continually packs and unpacks a pipe he carries at all times. However, he’s not allowed to smoke in many places nowadays.

He often answers random attempts at connection by his wife Mildred with a monotone, “Yes, dear.”

Conversation overheard

Shoot me if I perked up my ears toward the sad end of Team USA’s round of 16 loss to Belgium. I heard Mildred address Harold,“ Why don’t they give each one of those young players a spotted ball so they won’t have to kick around the one they share?”

“Yes, dear,” was Harold’s reply while he continued to perform the ritual men have been carrying out for centuries, packing and cleaning his pipe.

Thanks for reading my story.