Impressions and Notes

A massive fatigue is weighing on me, as if I was playing in the World Cup. My brain is like melted butter today. My focus now is to get back to New York and normalcy.

The football seems so far away, so long ago, even as I sit here watching a replay of that dreadful match.

I don't think I'd have the energy to go to the quarter final match had the US advanced. I'm exhausted.

Funny. I've been here almost three weeks and this awful shopping mall, Melrose Arch, has become my default home base because it is relatively close, has several banks, a mobile phone shop, a market and the de rigueur restaurants, shops, etc. There are two sort of posh hotels, Schrager knock-offs. I stopped in one, the Fire and Ice, for a coffee. It happens to be the hotel in which the US team are staying. I saw Michael Bradley in the lobby with a few girls (girlfriends? sisters?). I couldn't tell him, "good game", and I didn't have the heart to tell him they played poorly and let us down. He looked as tired as me.

Aufgehts Deutschland! While I am sentimental always about England, because they seem to perform as badly as the US in big tournaments, I have to say Germany looks really good. I like the way these kids attack, attack, attack. They may not be a glamourous side, with big names, but they are playing better football than anyone in this tournament right now. They play as a team, not a collection of individuals.