YNWA:

In the end, we lost calamitously, almost comically, with two inexplicable errors from our otherwise excellent goalkeeper, Loris Karius, and an astonishing goal (courtesy of a bicycle kick) from Real Madrid's Gareth Bale. But our fans, decked out all in red, were magnificent throughout, massively outnumbering Madrid's supporters and singing our songs until the bitter end: "Mo Salah, Mo Salah, Mo Salah running down the wing ... the Egyptian king."

It's difficult to describe the feeling after losing a game like this: We felt stunned, empty, with no desire to speak much. Ed and I sat quietly and drank more beer. I suggested feebly that we go to the pub, but Ed declined, saying he wasn't feeling it. Nor was I, truthfully. At that moment, like a good metaphor, a vast storm broke over South London, sending rivers of rain into the streets.

What does being a soccer fan teach us about being human? It provides us with a living, breathing community of fellow fans, and with a sense of identity and belonging, even if that belonging is virtual, circulating across social networks. For Liverpool supporters, fandom also offers a set of values: compassion, internationalism, decency, honor, self- respect and respect for others, even Manchester United fans (well, sometimes).

Soccer fandom binds us together in love. It gives us access to a rich, commonly held history that is also intensely personal. My grandmother has a Liverpool Football Club crest on her gravestone. Soccer was the only thing I could talk about sensibly with my father until his death. Eighty percent of my texting and talking with my son is about the team we love. That's a century and counting of history.

Millions of fans all over the world have similar sets of experiences. And these experiences link together into a vast collective that constitutes the cosmos of fandom. The fans are a living archive. Players come and go, but the fans stay, creating Liverpool's existential memory. Without them, the game is nothing. With them, it is more than a game.

But mainly being a fan is about learning to accept failure and bewildering disappointment. To lose to Real Madrid in the way we did was heartbreaking. Yet our fans are closer than ever. Liverpool's club song is a moving rendition of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "You'll Never Walk Alone." In loss, we are still together. My son and I have watched Liverpool lose many times -- to Sevilla in the 2016 Europa League final, to A.C. Milan in the 2007 Champions League final. And we will lose again. The important thing is being together when we do. Soccer teaches you the value of solidarity.

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