Ivory Coast’s Diomande living World Cup dream, dealing with tragedy

LEIPZIG, Germany: Two years after leaving the United States following a series of unsuccessful MLS tryouts, Yan Diomande is shining at the World Cup for Ivory Coast — and still grieving a family tragedy.
Diomande, 19, made his Ivory Coast debut in October and scored in his first two matches.
On Saturday, the RB Leipzig winger faces his adopted home of Germany in Toronto having grown into one of the Elephants’ most dangerous attacking threats.
Diomande’s development has come despite having to live with the death last year of his 15-year-old sister, who died after a stranger spiked her drink at a party.
In an emotional post on the Players’ Tribune website on Thursday entitled “Dear Roxane,” Diomande wrote to her: “The pitch is the only place that I feel at home anymore. It’s the place where I feel calm, and I can speak to you. I just wish you were still here so I could tell you....

We did it. “
He wonders if he could have protected her, the little sister with whom he used to dream of one day moving to France.
“I never got any answers,” Diomande laments. “I don’t know if I want to know why.

Maybe it was jealousy. Maybe it’s just something that happens in our country. Maybe I could have protected you.

I don’t know.”
He adds: “So much has happened since I last saw you... You would not even believe it. I don’t know if I believe it.