The noise inside MetLife began as a low hum and then built into something that felt alive, a restless, swelling sound that wrapped around the stands and pulsed under the evening sky.
The lights above burned through the misty drizzle, cutting sharp streaks of white over the green pitch.
And from the tunnels, the first players began to emerge.
A ripple went through the crowd as they recognised players they had followed for a while and for the past season.
A boy in the front row near the halfway line clutched his father's sleeve and shouted, "Dad, that's Saka! That's actually Saka!"
His father smiled, phone already up to record as the Arsenal players trotted onto the pitch in their maroon training tops, laughter and chatter mixing with the sound of balls being rolled and clipped around.
"Listen to that," one of the ESPN commentators said on the broadcast, his voice steady but tinged with excitement.
