This podcast is presented by State Farm, a proud supporter of women's soccer and all women's sports, like a good neighbor State Farm is there.

I don't know if you were able to see this on the telly. After, I think the first half of full time, there was a flock of seagulls flying overhead, spinning with great ferocity,

and circumference, and, um, shitting everywhere. Nice. Just shitting all over the entire pitch. I mean, it's a metaphor in this somewhere.

And that's when I started to think this might not go our way.

From Apple News, I'm Rebecca Lowe.

And I'm Brendan Hunt, but really what is identity? What is meaning? What is this life? And what is after the whistle?

We are, in fact, minutes after the final whistle of USA Sweden. Brendan was there. He is just beginning to process.

US soccer led Michelle Acres joins us to work through it Irish Wake style and to possibly settle the nickname debate once and for all.

And reminder, there's going to be plenty of adult language today, from everyone except me.

Oh fuck off.

Oh, my friend, we are literally jumping on. You've just got back to the hotel from the ground, having watched the United States go out.

There are only a sex it ever in the women's world cup. Talk us through your emotions right now, actually, if you can.

Um, I mean, I'm definitely standing in a emotional crater of infinite breadth.

But like, you know, I've had my teams have heartbreaking losses before, but this one feels different.

Why? Usually like when I when I have this degree of sadness, it's like entirely my own.

I'm not worried about anyone else. This is me and my sadness usually coupled with rage.

But now I feel greater sadness for many others in this instance.

I feel sad for the team. I feel sad for everyone who missed a penalty, which is of course a pretty long list, but we'll get to that.

I oddly feel sad for Fox sports.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

They're about to hit a ratings iceberg, but between the US being out and time zones being what they are that's going to not be quite the advertisement for the sport that we we hoped.

I feel sad for every fan who made the effort to come out here.

...