With the 2018 FIFA World Cup just six months away, more and more Americans will begin to become aware that the U.S. Men’s National Team will not be taking part in the competition. Despite its growing popularity, the world’s favorite sport still lags behind football and baseball in terms of viewing popularity in the United States.

The only peak in viewing comes during the World Cup when the whole country gets behind the national team as they make their way through the competition. With the United States’s poor performance leading up to the big tournament and eventual elimination from even competing in Russia, I’m sure many Americans won’t even bother to keep up with the competition that the rest of the world will be compelled to watch.

The beauty of the World Cup in America is that introduces many Americans to a sport that they have heard of, but perhaps not paid very much attention to. Every four years the competition gets the sport more and more attention due to the notoriety of the event. With the lack of United States participation, I worry that many potential soccer fans will not have an opportunity to discover a sport that much of the rest of the world could not live without.

Soccer is a complex game wrapped up in a simple package that many people oversimplify and discard the notion that it is anything more than kicking a ball into a net. In reality, soccer is one of very few sports that is almost entirely without any set plays that are run in succession. The fluidity of the game is where the complexity and unpredictability lies and when one comes to that understanding, the sport is much more interesting to watch.

As I have mentioned several times, the rest of the world will be keenly interested on the outcome of the 2018 World Cup. By not keeping up with the events of the historic competition, Americans will be missing out on the focus of the rest of the world. That being said, considering the lack of US participation, many other teams that are considered to be modern regulars will not be making an appearance in Russia.

Teams like the Netherlands and Italy make way for teams like Denmark, Sweden, and Saudi Arabia each of which, along with nine others, have appeared just once in the World Cup Finals. The number of teams that are irregular participants sets the stage for even more upsets and drama than in recent history.

The 88 year old competition will take place in a new setting with Russia providing a controversial backdrop to an event that could prove to be a historic one. It is with this in mind that I sincerely hope that every American watches the 2018 World Cup despite these unusual circumstances so that we may stay on top of the events of the world and keep an eye on the underdogs that could make things extremely interesting.