Let this weekend remind you that, sometimes, soccer is more than soccer. Sometimes it's about a player showing the mental strength to return from a two-year-long stint in injury recovery. Sometimes it's about a player seeing their dreams dashed in the cruelest of fashions. Sometimes it's about proving doubters wrong on the biggest stage.
And sometimes, yes, it's about something as silly as a squirrel on the field.
All of those above scenarios happened over this weekend, which certainly was a rollercoaster ride for U.S. men's national team stars playing in Europe. Big games in Italy and England took centerstage. So, too, did goals and assists in the Netherlands and Scotland.
Through it all, though, the big stories were - well, actually stories. Daryl Dike, Josh Sargent and Weston McKennie are all writing theirs, and each will have something to look back on and smile after this weekend.
That luxury won't be extended to James Sands, unfortunately. A serious leg injury will keep him out for some time, and it came at a the worst of times, given his success at St. Pauli. In a weekend full mostly of positives, that was a gloomy setback for a player who was making real progress.
GOAL looks at the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.