Glasgow/Lake District

Last Thursday night I got into Glasgow around 5. I went to Glasgow a night earlier than the rest of the group because I was going to play in a fan friendly between the American fans and the Scottish fans. I'm still unsure how this was exactly organized, but basically I saw a post about it on the internet and I decided to sign up. I got to the soccer complex around 7 and the match was set to start at 8. While I was waiting, I met an American couple from Charlotte, NC, who were there to play in the friendly (well the husband was). We immediately connected over our passion for the USA team and soccer in general. It was so nice to finally talk to an American again who shared my passion for soccer. We shared all of our experiences and compared stories. It just proved to me how small the world really is. It was finally time for the match to start and for me to play in my first full field match since the summer except this one was a bit more official because they even had a ref. We ended up tying the match 2-2, but regardless of the score, it felt incredible to get back out on the field again. I met another guy from NYC who was just as friendly as the couple from Charlotte and it was another reminder to me how much soccer brings strangers together. All four of us talked for awhile after the match and they told me where to meet before the match starts on the next day. I didn't do too much Friday morning besides walk out to see Celtic Park, the local team in Glasgow's stadium. I met up with the rest of the group that afternoon and then we checked into our hostel and set off for the stadium. We ran into the people I met the night before and we all walked into the stadium with a bunch of other Americans. In total, there were probably around 50 Americans give or take but it was an awesome experience to cheer on our country in a foreign country. The USA national team ended up tying as well but we still had a blast. It had been so long since any of us on this trip were allowed to show our American pride, so when we were finally in a setting where we could, we made sure everyone knew who we were and where we came from. Saturday, some of us stopped in Windermere (the Lake District) on the way back to Bath. I was glad I was able to see the Lake District because it showed a side of England I haven't seen yet with all of the highlands and the beautiful lake. We took a long boat ride on the lake during our time there which was fun but cold. After a few hours there, we decided to head back to Bath. The only unusual thing that happened to us on the way back was our train got delayed because another train hit a sheep, but supposedly that's a pretty common thing over here. We made it back safe and sound in Bath that night. I had a great time in Scotland and I'm thankful for the new friendships I made plus the strengthening of old friendships during my time there. I hope all is well back home. Don't worry, I'll be back soon! Good luck to the CA bulldogs in tonight's game. Until next time. 

We made it on the USA soccer's official Instagram.