USA vs Venezuela: Americans Should Show World Cup-Level Interest in Match

The USA takes on Venezuela today in an international friendly, but the interest in the match figures to be extremely low.

And it's understandable why.

The three most important American soccer figures, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard, are all overseas and will miss the match. 

The roster is full of young unproven players. Sometimes when you don't know the players' names, it makes it hard to really care.

What's more, Venezuela is ranked 41st in the world, but its far from the most intriguing opponent. The reasons to ignore this game are prominent and seemingly endless.

But the times, they are a changin'. 

American football or soccer or whatever you want to call it is becoming more and more popular in the states. It's been the most popular sport in the world for a long time, so it was only a matter of time before it began to gain steam here. 

The Yanks are ready to take the next step.

At No. 33, the Red, White and Blue continue to be a model of inconsistency and mediocrity, and there haven't been a whole lot of positive signs under new coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Still, the influx of impressive young players—who you'll get a chance to see today—points toward hope in the future.

America appears just on the fringe of taking a step into that next tier. I realize not everyone in America will accept soccer, and as result our country will probably never be elite in the sport, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. 

One way to work toward becoming a better soccer nation is to improve the fan base, and today is a good way to do. Treat every match like its the World Cup Final.

You think Brazil fans stop watching just because Neymar isn't playing? Or Spanish fans take a day off when David Villa or Xabi Alonso do?

Nope.

So even though the three best American players are still in Europe, and even though this is just a friendly against Venezuela, Americans have to treat this match like it matters.

Because in the end game, it does.