By now, you know if your guys are in. You’re waiting to see who they’ll play, where they’ll play, when they’ll play. You’re reading the tea leaves to see who’ll make the squad and how they’ll jell into a team. Are they peaking? Struggling? Injured? Healthy? Who’s in form? Who’s on the roster bubble? Will they be drawn into a hopeless Group of Death? Or might they stumble into something E-A-S-Y? Will they be playing against the hosts, or the defending champs, or old rivals? Will they be up for it? What time is kick-off?

It’s still months away, but let’s face it: the 2014 World Cup is here.

If you’re even a little bit like me, you’ve had June 2014 circled on your calendar since, oh, July 2010. I go absolutely mental for the World Cup, and it feels great to see so many American fans right there with me. (If you’re reading this, you’re likely one of us.) USMNT World Cup matches have become “Big Deal” American events, like Super Bowls and World Series games and arty cable drama finales. That’s also true for the Cup Final, no matter which teams are playing. And because of our melting-pot background, every single Cup match feels huge here in the States – if only because there are thousands and thousands of fans around the country who care desperately about the outcome.