As an ambitious college student in Memphis, Omar Jarun dreamed of one day playing for the United States in the World Cup. But Jarun, a 6-foot-4 central defender who plays for the Ottawa Fury in the North American Soccer League, never made it onto the roster, and he is not headed to the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

But at 30, he has kept his dream of playing international soccer alive, though it is different from what it looked like in his youth in Peachtree City, Ga. On Friday, Jarun will play for Palestine against the Philippines in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup final in the Maldives.

It is a hugely significant moment for Palestine. Not only is the match the team’s first final in its 16-year history, but a victory would also mean a place in next year’s Asian Cup, the continent’s equivalent of the European Championship or the Concacaf Gold Cup, which would be Palestine’s first major international tournament.

“This is the biggest moment in the history of our national team,” Jarun said in a telephone interview from Malé, the capital of the Maldives. “It is a huge game for us. Everyone in Palestine, and all the Palestinians around the world, will be watching.”