For Tim Howard, this year's World Cup is a full-circle moment.
Raised in central New Jersey and becoming pro in his home state, the World Cup final will be held roughly 35 miles away from where the former United States Men's National Team goaltender grew up.
When the bidding for the final took place, Howard knew exactly where it had to be played.
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"I heard Dallas, and I love Dallas. Good, good town, but I just said the World Cup final could only really ever be in one place and it had to be in the New York, New Jersey area," Howard told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
"I've never been to a World Cup final. I have never been around a World Cup final. I'm 47 years old, I've only ever seen the World Cup final on TV. So, you know, to be in New York during it, it's sort of crazy to think about. It's pinch myself sort of territory."
Howard has never been to a World Cup final, because his USA squads never got to one. In fact, no USA team has ever made it. And Howard doesn't exactly expect this one to make it either.
But there is a mark that this year's team does have to reach in order for the World Cup to not be considered a failure for the Stars and Stripes.
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"I think we win the group, and we should win the group. So, start there," Howard began. The USA is the highest-ranked team in its group that also includes Australia, Paraguay and Turkey.
"I think if you win the group and you finish first, in the Round of 32 you're going to get a third-place team, which, hopefully, as we start to peel back the layers, shouldn't be any better than any team you had just beaten in the knockout phase, right?"
From then on, it's house money, Howard said.
"And then I think, if my calculations are correct, in the Round of 16 they're going to have to roll their sleeves up and sort of beat a bully, a top-10 team in the world, right? But that's sort of how it should be. And if they can do that, a top-10, top-20 team, then they get themselves to the quarterfinal," he said.
"Now, that's easy on paper. A lot of things have to happen. I think this is a really talented team. Can they come together, all play their best soccer at the same time? We'll see. But I do think they have the potential to do that."
Howard is, of course, hoping this team goes the distance, which may provide some extra uniform cleaning. Howard knows all about that as a lifelong athlete who continues to live a healthy lifestyle and partnered with Lysol ahead of this year's World Cup.
"I'm not on the field anymore, but I know that after a long match, practice, workout, whatever it is, my clothes stink. I also know that Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is my absolute go-to," he said. "It kills 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria in laundry. So, it's a natural fit as you can imagine with all of the sweating and working out that I did."
If Team USA's tournament does not go as planned, though, there is a silver lining, Howard said.
"If the United States Men's National Team has a tragic summary and they fail and they don't get out of the group, soccer's not going to go backwards in this country. It's not," he said. "People will be disappointed, but the money and the infrastructure and the support are still going to be there.
"They're just going to be hungrier for success."
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