From there, the crowd marched en masse up the Fan Mile, through streets so clogged it was almost impossible to move, meeting up unexpectedly with an Air Force band that led a patriotic wedge up the hill to the stadium, playing fight songs while U.S. supporters waved flags and chanted "U-S-A!" Between songs, the band members high-fived each other and posed for photos with fans. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was inspiring, and I say this as a cynic who hasn't been proud of his country in a long time. I felt like we'd just liberated Europe.
[snip]
I have been to World Series, Super Bowls, NBA playoffs, national championships, and all manner of other sporting events, but nothing comes close to the atmosphere in Kaiserslautern for the U.S.-Italy match. And the team seemed to feel it. Despite being outnumbered three-to-one by Italians, who can drive up to Germany in half a day, the U.S. crowd was inspired—loud, enthusiastic and unceasing in their energy. I can recall only a few times when the Azzurri faithful drowned out the U.S. section and one of those times was when an Italian player literally turned around before a free kick and pumped his arms, urging the Italians to drown out the USA chants. It's not something I ever thought I'd see in Europe.

¶ 3:24 PM