Every four years, the world's attention turns to the World Cup, an event that captivates millions here in the United States.

The anticipation surrounding the most-watched sporting event on the planet is contagious, so much so that soccer takes center stage on the front pages of U.S. magazines and newspapers, much like it does everywhere else.

With every World Cup since the United States hosted the tournament in 1994, media attention and national soccer interest have grown steadily. After every tournament, there is a residual boost to the soccer landscape in American sports.

Soccer is growing in this country, like it or not, and will become one of the top two sports in the near future.

I know this is a major statement, but if you look at the growth of soccer and its popularity - especially in recent years - you will realize it is not outrageous.

Soccer's growth has made people take an interest and talk about the national team in a different way than they did four years ago. The difference in interest and engagement is even more noticeable if we compare the level of fan engagement to where it was eight or 12 years ago.

Fans now educated

Fans are no longer making general, uneducated statements about the sport and our national team. They now are going deeper by analyzing the players and their team's tactics, debating why they don't like this player, why the coach made this substitution and not that one, or whether a particular formation was more effective than another.

Simply put, fans are becoming more educated about soccer, something that will only help further the growth of the sport in our country.

With that education comes more scrutiny for decisions, like Jurgen Klinsmann's call not to include Landon Donovan on the 23-man U.S. roster.

You'd be surprised at how often people who are not soccer fans ask me about Donovan. His exclusion, in my opinion, was not one based on his on-field performance but rather on personal reasons. The well-known Twitter comments Klinsmann's son made shortly after the final roster for Brazil was announced provide a tantalizing glimpse at what Klinsmann's feelings surrounding Donovan might have been. In fact, many of Klinsmann's comments since he announced the final roster have been aimed at justifying his decision.

He has said that playing in MLS hurts Donovan. Did it hurt his play during the last World Cup?

Klinsmann also has said some players are ahead of Donovan right now. OK. If that were true (which in my opinion it isn't), why would you still want to take someone who isn't proven under the unique pressure of a World Cup over a three-time veteran?

By not having Donovan, our national team is losing out on a player who has consistently come up big in games when the team needed someone to do so.

I will be the first to admit I have not been in camp to see how the team was performing, but when I hear someone like Tim Howard say, "Landon makes us a better team when we are on the field," I can't help but feel this is a sentiment shared by more than one player on the U.S. squad.

Perhaps others are ahead of him in terms of form or skill level at this point, but I think we could still benefit from a 32-year-old player who understands what is needed when coming off the bench in pressure situations.

I am biased when it comes to this matter, but I am basing my opinions on what I have seen and experienced. Klinsmann can make all the analogies and excuses he wants, but when you look at the facts, it is disappointing that this decision was not really based on objective criteria.

We will definitely miss Donovan on and off the field.

Staunch group

When I look at our 23-man roster for the World Cup, I think this is one of the best teams we have ever had going into the tournament. However, this is probably the most difficult group we have ever been in.

Everyone is constantly asking, "What are our chances of advancing?" My typical answer: "Let's flip a coin."

This is probably not the answer everyone is looking for, but that is how far I think we have come as a soccer nation. If a previous U.S. team had been put in this group - we are joined by Germany, Portugal and Ghana - wouldn't we all have said we have no chance to advance?

Our biggest strength is our midfield. Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones are the heart and soul of this team. Both bring toughness, and Jones' mentality and athletic ability will be key in breaking up attacks by opposing teams and protecting a young back line.

Bradley is going to be important in helping connect passes from the back line to the forwards. He has shown a unique ability to keep possession and find dangerous passes that put our attacking players in situations to succeed. This is something the U.S. was missing in the past.

Another big factor is Jozy Altidore. We need to score goals to advance, and much of the burden will fall on his shoulders. He is a unique player blessed with a size and pace we have never seen before from an American striker. If Altidore can keep his confidence high, Clint Dempsey will benefit by finding more freedom on the ball.

Defense a concern

What worries me, along with others who know the sport, is our defense.

When you look at our defenders on paper, you could make the case they are inexperienced, especially against top-level teams like those in our group. On closer inspection, however, Fabian Johnson and Geoff Cameron play in top-level leagues against some of the best players in the world every week. DaMarcus Beasley has been there and done that.

What is more telling than the individuals is their understanding as a unit - how well they play together, communicate, and cover for one another. A promising sign was their improvement from game to game during the recent set of World Cup warmup matches.

If we are to make it out of the group stage and on to the knockout rounds, Ghana is the team we must beat. In the past, Ghana has had a huge advantage athletically, although I think our team matches that athleticism this time around. I feel this gives us the advantage, because African teams traditionally lose their shape and discipline if they fatigue or get frustrated. If the U.S. can stay organized like it did in the final warmup game against Nigeria and frustrate the Ghanaians' attack, the Americans will have a great chance of breaking them down.

The United States also needs to get a positive result against Portugal. That nation boasts the world's best player in Cristiano Ronaldo, and containing him will be key for the U.S. We need to limit his time and space on the ball so we can negatively impact his game. He is a player who wears his emotions on his sleeve, and the more frustrated we can make him, the more that feeling could affect the entire team.

Germany is a team that historically is among the tournament's top performers. The Germans are not flashy but routinely do whatever it takes to win. They are good on set pieces, extremely organized on defense, and patient on the attack.

Of all the games in the group, this will be the hardest to win. Germany most likely will control the game, so we will need to be patient and use our speed on the counterattack to get goals.

For the next month, the eyes of the planet will be on Brazil, where Houston will be well-represented by Boniek Garcia with Honduras and Brad Davis with the U.S.

I am very excited for Brad and to see what he can do with the opportunity he has earned through his hard work to help our country reach a new level on the world's stage.

Brian Ching is the Dynamo's all-time leading scorer and was on the 2006 U.S. World Cup team. He is now the managing director of the Houston Dash.