Earlier in the year, I wrote a column about how sports fans have a rough time in the summer with most sports concluding their seasons before the summer months. However, every four years we are treated to a one-of-a-kind event that is on a level of its own – the World Cup.

The world comes together to watch each nation battle it out on the pitch, fighting for the ultimate title of “World Champion”. In America, most championship settings in almost every sport separate the nation as each person cheers for their respective team, but during the World Cup, the entire country cheers in unison for the Yanks.

Unfortunately, America has not had the best of luck when it comes to the worldwide tournament. The highest finish USMNT has ever recorded was back in 1930 when it finished in third place overall. Since then, the team has not made it past the quarterfinals.

When it comes to the world’s best teams, America is hardly, if ever, mentioned. When teams like Brazil, Spain, Germany, Portugal, etc. boast some of the world’s best players, it’s hard for the Americans to have much of a shot.

This year feels a little different, though. At least for me it does.

The first thing that fans may have been shocked by is the fact that Landon Donovan, the all-time leader in scoring and assists for the men’s national team, was not named to the roster that Jurgen Klinsmann put together. Donovan has been a staple on this team since 2002 and is widely considered one of, if not the best, player to ever come out of the States.

While it may be weird at first to not watch Donovan out on the field doing his thing, I think this is good for USMNT. America has not been able to get it done in recent World Cup appearances, and something had to change. While Donovan is not solely to blame for those losses, he isn’t part of the solution either.

I think that the combination of the remaining veteran leaders on the team and new players added to this year’s roster provides a challenge for the rest of the world. Do I think that America will win the World Cup? No, I’m not that confident in us quite yet, but I do think this team will be able to make some noise by maybe providing an upset over a top team or at least making them sweat.

In the end, we, as Americans, care how our team does, but the results shouldn’t be what matter. Maybe this is the year that USMNT finally breaks through that threshold and brings home the trophy, but this is a time for all of us to blend together, throw on whatever American swag we have and cheer until our damn voices are gone. This opportunity is almost as special as the Olympics, as it only comes around every four years, so we might as well savor the moment and cheer on our fellow Americans.

#IBelieve