Monday night was not a good time to be a fan of the U.S. men's national team.
Simply put, the Yanks were whooped. In a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the World Cup's Round of 16, the last host nation standing in this year's tournament could have used some shoulder pads and helmets from that other kind of football. Maybe that would have protected them from the beating they took.
It was a night to forget for many American fans. But it capped off what has been a special, and at times bizarre, run for American soccer that supporters won't likely forget.
Hundreds of fans gathered on the lawn outside Time Out Market Boston in the Fenway to watch on a screen that's been set up for the World Cup, with more watchers inside. The wide selection of red, white and blue gear in the crowd made it feel like a second helping of Fourth of July. They were even playing 'Miracle' before the game kicked off.
Tyler McNally brought an American flag to watch the match and believes the team and the Cup offered a uniting factor for Americans.
"It's showing that even within the times that we're going through, a little bit of tribulation, we're still America. We're still here, we're still united when it comes to our sports," McNally said.
Jarrett Nicoll had a similar outlook on what the team meant.
"I feel like the States has very much needed it," Nicoll said. "It's like it brought a lot of joy in the middle of a time that I think a lot of people were looking pretty negatively at the country. It just brought everybody together. Also, the foreign people that came here brought this new energy that nobody was really expecting."
That joy was complicated a bit with the saga of U.S. forward Folarin Balogun heading into the match. Balogun was (controversially) given a red card in the previous match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Which meant that he would not have been able to play against Belgium.
Then (even more controversially) that decision was upended Sunday by FIFA. To make matters even stickier, President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the case. It was a mess that raised eyebrows and tempers across the world.
But it turns out that didn't matter much given how the team played on the pitch. There was a brief moment of hope when the U.S. equalized in the first half. Only for Belgium to regain the lead about two minutes later.
Still, the U.S. fans gathered to watch mostly stayed throughout the match. Though some took off after the Belgians extra time goal that dropped a slab of concrete on American dreams already six feet under.
"Very bad day. Wasn't our day. In a collective and individual way," said U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino after the match. "And we understand that sometimes this type of thing happens. But in a tournament like the World Cup, when that happens, you have not another chance."
It may have been a bad night, but at least there were good memories along the way for American fans. And the biggest silver lining? The women's World Cup is next year. And the American women will almost certainly be strong contenders to pick up their fifth star.
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