The day was November 13, 2017, one day before my 18th birthday, when I opened Facebook and saw the news that Italy didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup. My Italian cousins and friends expressed their sadness through status updates and shares, the Italian daily news on the RAI channel showed footage of Italian citizens lamenting, and even my Spanish teacher, who was from Italy, joked that he should've taken off because it was a tragic day in history for his country.

Colombia Cougar S.E.Y.A.A. league. Kodak

Even though I grew up watching Italian soccer and was obviously heartbroken that Italy would not be playing in the World Cup, this news overall made me happy because it reminded me of one thing: this summer was going to be the World Cup! It was not something I was eagerly anticipating, but something that surprised me.

Born to European parents, soccer has always been prevalent in my life from when I was a baby. From the age of 5 I started playing soccer in the fall, then on the weekends, I would watch soccer on TV with my father. I remember the announcer shouting GOOOOOOOOOOOOL! I remember watching out for my mother's favorite player, Francesco Totti, on the screen, and I remember my father's loud cursing when a player missed a shot on goal.

Francesco Totti in his debut year in Serie A, 25 years ago.https://www.instagram.com/p/BT6KHICBUqI/?hl=en

This was the stuff of my childhood. As we grow older and get more busy with school we drift from our usual routines, we stop watching soccer on Sundays. It's okay because when we are reminded of this thing from our past, we relish the nostalgic feeling when we rediscover it.

That heart-stopping moment.

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The 2018 World Cup in Russia reminded me how of much I love soccer. Every time I watched a match, I could smell the grass and feel the stitch in my side from running. I remembered the elegant moves of the players and that moment your heart stops when you see the ball hit the back of the net. And the players who are so good looking it physically hurts to look at them. This World Cup has been an exciting, thrilling ride and awakened a new, profound love of soccer within me. Now I wait, eagerly this time, for Qatar 2022. . .