The boys joined us this evening to watch the finals of the inaugural Women’s Amputee Soccer World Cup. Kyle arrived with dinner in hand, a godsend since Jeanine was otherwise occupied, and told me I was on my own for food. The finals were between the USA and the host nation, Columbia. The match ended in a 1:1 tie and was decided by a one-goal difference in the penalty kick shootout, with Columbia the victor. Although it was a disappointing result for the Americans, the tournament represents a major milestone in the sport of Amputee Soccer.

My own soccer career may have come to an end this morning. During our final match of the season before the playoffs, I suffered a fairly severe hamstring injury. For some time now, I have been wondering how many more seasons I have in me (or rather, how many more miles I can put on my decrepit knees), and today’s injury may be the signal that it is time to hang up my cleats. Time will tell.

Postscript: We won our match 2:0, and I played 70 minutes as a striker. My injury happened after I intercepted a clearance and had a good opportunity to score.