With the 2014 World Cup drawing closer, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team is back on track after an embarrassing scare at the hands of Jamaica, losing 2-1, before squeezing past Jamaica 1-0 back in the states.

The U.S. is currently tied with Guatemala and Jamaica with seven points in Group A of the 2014 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. The USMNT and Guatemala have an advantage with a goal differential of two, compared to Jamaica’s goal differential of one. Most assume that the USMNT will qualify to the last round of qualifying by beating Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda, which would guarantee the USMNT  would advance. But what if the USMNT slips up and ties Antigua and Barbuda, or ties Guatemala like the game before? The tie would give Jamaica an opportunity to jump over the USMNT into the two qualifying spots and would prevent the USMNT from qualifying for the first time in 26 years. Don’t count it out either, the USMNT tied Guatemala in the first game of qualifying and very well could again.

Why do I think of horrible disasters like this? Well, I’ve learned not to get my hopes up for the USMNT. Good victories against the blue-bloods of Europe are usually followed by a tie or loss to a country you’ve never heard of. Most American soccer fans have multiple other teams they cheer for in the World Cup. I, for example, have my favorites, Ghana, Netherlands and Russia.

Last year, I was at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup fixture between Guadeloupe and the USMNT at Livestrong Sporting Park. The USMNT scored only one goal, but won the contest. Yes, they had many more chances than Guadeloupe, but they only finished one. Great teams would finish Guadeloupe off by more then three goals. If Guadeloupe scored, the USMNT would have been out of the Gold Cup, a tournament hosted in their own country. This is why I and many other soccer fans, look elsewhere in the World Cup for a team to support.

My second example goes back to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where the USMNT was on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament because they were tied with Algeria. This mean the USMNT did not have enough points to surpass England and Slovenia to advance in Group C. If Landon Donovan would not have stepped up and made the shot to advance the USMNT in stoppage time, the United States would have been sent packing before the knockout rounds, which would have been embarrassing.

My last example goes back to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the USMNT advanced in Group B with Brazil, ahead of Italy and Egypt to advance to the knockout stage. The USMNT beat Spain, the top ranked team in the world, and gave them their only loss since EURO 2008, and their only loss leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The USMNT advanced to the final against Brazil, and gained a 2-0 advantage at half. The title looked to be theirs, and it would be a huge step for the USMNT. Unfortunately, the USMNT let in three goals in the second half, and lost the final. The USMNT unable to play defend a 2-0 lead is disappointing, and left fans with the exact same feeling.

So, for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, I will keep the USMNT in the corner of my eye, making sure I do not get my hopes up for a good showing, but if they do I’ll be pleasantly surprised.