Sayonara

Japan played Brazil at the 2006 World Cup and I remember thinking they might actually do something. They had moments of real competence, weren’t outclassed or anything. But the other results went wrong—Croatia beat Australia or Australia beat Croatia or whatever, the point is the fixtures didn’t align. Sometimes you play well and still lose to math.

I was disappointed, but not devastated. Club football gets in your bones. International tournaments are different—you care for a month, then you’re done. Someone was rooting for South Korea, so I shifted over. You find something else to want and keep watching.

Twenty years later I don’t recall much except that Japan looked decent against Brazil and didn’t advance. I switched allegiances because of someone else’s investment. But that particular sting—watching a team you care about play well and still get knocked out by circumstance—that stays with you in a dumb, persistent way.