Four American soccer players sat in a circle on the turf of Khalifa Stadium an hour after getting knocked out of the World Cup.
The United States men's national team gave everything it had through four games, but on Saturday, it met a better team in the Netherlands that beat them 3-1, ending their hopes of reaching the World Cup quarterfinal for the first time in 20 years.
DeAndre Yedlin, Tim Weah, Aaron Long and Sean Johnson sat together on the wet grass, legs crossed, soaking in their surroundings. They chatted about life and what this moment meant in the grand scheme.
"We were just putting things in perspective and reflecting on the journey and just giving thanks, you know, to the Earth," said Yedlin, who was the only U.S. player that had been to and played in a previous World Cup heading into Qatar.
Yedlin explained later that he and his teammates often sit together like this after training sessions and games. They've been doing it for a while, actually, and call the session of sorts "grounding."
"It just helps put perspective to life, good or bad," he said.