WEST DEPTFORD, N.J. — In a perfect world, Rudi Klobach would be gearing up for the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday night, preparing to follow his same old plan for watching the United States play.
Slip on a U.S.A. soccer jersey. Drive across the river to Brauhaus Schmitz, his favorite German restaurant in Philadelphia. Grab an early dinner of Wiener schnitzel and sit in front of the televisions so he and his wife, Barbara, could have a clear view of the game.
He wouldn’t, just couldn’t, miss the United States women playing in big matches. How could he, when, in a way, a part of him was playing?