Jeanine and I woke up early to catch the Dublin Express bus to the airport. There, we picked up our rental car and waited to meet up with my brother Mark and his wife Marie, who were arriving from Minneapolis. Both activities proved fraught with challenge. The exact location of the bus stop was so poorly identified that we used every second of our twenty minute buffer running up and down the Aston Quay to find it. We were both dripping wet with perspiration by the time we boarded. Renting a car proved equally infuriating. You are unable to decline insurance coverage without a letter from your credit card or insurance company stating that your policy covers Ireland. Unable to produce this document, I had no choice but to accept their coverage for +$500.

Connecting with Mark and Marie put all this nonsense in the rear view mirror as we departed for a late breakfast in Drogheda. From there, we drove to Belfast and directly to the Titanic Experience where we learned all about the tradition of ship building in Belfast and of the Titanic in particular as well as the entire story of its infamous maiden voyage. It was a fantastic experience and my brother was captivated (or possibly exhausted from no sleep in 40 hours).

Mexico leveraged its home-field advantage to defeat Team USA 2-3. Despite the loss, the US finished second in the tournament and will qualify for the World Cup to be contested next July in Costa Rica. Nico was in exceptional form throughout the tournament and picked up another goal on a penalty kick in this final match which can be viewed here.