It took just one question for Hali Long, the co-captain of the Philippine women's national football team, to feel the weight of appearing in their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup to sink in.
It was early in July, and the Filipinas trooped to New South Wales in Australia to meet the Filipino community there before they flew to New Zealand.
Long was asked by media organization SBS Filipino one question, "What makes you proud of this team?"
It took a few seconds for her to process the question. She smiled, and then she hunched her shoulders, trying to cover her mouth.
And just like that, the emotions started pouring. Long's forehead wrinkled as if trying to keep herself together. She even tried to hide her mouth behind her thick black jacket.
"Wow," Long finally managed to reply.
She didn't hide her face anymore, but the tears were welling in her eyes and she had to wipe them as she tried to chuckle.
"It means everything," Long said in a shaky voice, and tried to apologize. "Sorry!"
She has been with the senior national team since 2016 and has now appeared in over 70 international matches for the Philippines—the most for any Filipina on the roster. Now they were heading to the Philippines' maiden appearance in the FIFA Women's World Cup—in any FIFA World Cup for that matter.
Long paused for a few more seconds, closing her eyes and wiping her tears. Longtime teammate and goalkeeper Inna Palacios stayed by her side.
"Being on this team means everything to me," Long added.
Then she chuckled as she tried to apologize again. "Sorry, wow! Sorry, all my emotions are hitting me now."
The 28-year-old co-captain, a defender, has been solid for the backline and has also delivered 18 goals for her squad. This included the opening salvo against Vietnam in the 2022 AFF Women's Championship semifinals, en route to the Filipinas' first-ever title.
"It means everything to me to be here, to be part of this journey," she said.
During the Filipinas' run, there were many questions regarding the choice to represent the Philippines. Long, like many others on the roster, was born in the United States.
But the decision of playing for the Philippines was not even in doubt for Long. It was who she was, without question. She has been locked in for seven years.
"To see how far we've come as a group is just... I can't even put words into it," she said. "It's a very overwhelming feeling."
The video was posted on July 25, just a few hours before the Philippines took on co-host New Zealand in their second match of Group A.
During the Philippine national anthem, the camera panned to every member as they sang. Long was last, and she was once again teary-eyed after the song ended.
The emotions came pouring in again after 95 minutes, as the Filipinas won their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup match, 1-0. They were, in fact, the first debutante team to win a match this year.
The Filipinas have been making milestone after milestone after the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup. On Sunday, as the world number 46 Philippines takes on world number 12 and winless Norway at 3 p.m., the Filipinas will try to make one more.
And yes, Long will probably be getting all the feels when they play the national anthem again. And the rest of the country will share those tears with her.