Chris Wondolowski, a ‘surreal’ life, and the pivotal World Cup miss that still haunts him

Chris Wondolowski knows that the flashbacks are coming. They barge to the front of his brain whenever he hears the word “Belgium,” or whenever a pitiless fan reminds him of his shame. They recede as he shuttles two young daughters around his hometown, or beams at their school’s Halloween costume parade; but there are “certain triggers,” Wondo says, that “send your mind off spinning.” And he knows that, as the U.S. men’s national team returns to the World Cup for the first time since his miss, the triggers will multiply.

They’ve trailed him ever since July 1, 2014, when he shanked a chance now burned into YouTube and millions of brains. In stoppage time of a taut Round of 16 tie, he blazed the crowning moment of an improbable career beyond a Belgian crossbar, and America howled in disbelief, then in rage. An hour later, sitting in a despondent locker room, Wondolowski glued his eyes to Twitter and ingested bottomless venom. Before he could even speak to his family, he faced a gaggle of reporters and, when asked about the chance, admitted that he’d “be thinking about it” indefinitely.

Eight years later, he still is. He’s 39 and recently retired, as Major League Soccer’s goalscoring king. He lives a busy but happy life in leafy Northern California, coaching and dadding surrounded by people he loves. But memories of 2014 rest delicately just beneath the surface of his mind. Some of them are fond; but the miss, Wondolowski told Yahoo Sports this summer, “definitely overshadows all the good, or any of the good.” So much so that he shies away from some World Cup-related conversations, “’cause I don't want someone to bring it up — I don't want to go down that road,” he says.

But of course, reminders are inescapable. His mentions are still occasionally polluted by “absolute clowns,” who promise to always hate him and never forgive him. “And it's not even just the social media,” Wondolowski says. “It's everywhere.” A replay blindsided him when he sat down to watch the 2014 World Cup final. He knows more will ambush him when he tunes in for Qatar 2022 in November.