Ah, the life of a national team fan. For the past 20 years, the United States men's national team has had plenty of depth -- at the only position where you don't need it.
First, there was Tony Meola, the ponytailed almost-Jets-punter who had his own video game and started every match at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups -- all before his 26th birthday. He was usurped by the likes of Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller, a pair of Premier League and LaLiga and Bundesliga stalwarts, who then gave way to Tim Howard, he of the phone call from President Obama and the 398 Premier League starts for Manchester United and Everton.
Such was the American depth at keeper that neither Marcus Hahnemann nor Brad Guzan -- both of whom started 100-plus Premier League matches -- ever appeared in a World Cup match. At any other position, that kind of pedigree would've meant "automatic starter." At keeper, it meant second string at best.
For years, fans wondered what life might be like if only America could develop players at all the other positions, too. Well, with Americans now occupying key roles for teams in the Champions League and across Europe's Big Five leagues, it's finally happened. And of course, it's finally happened that the USMNT keeper pool has gone the other way. Such is the volatility of a competition constrained by the country on your (or your close relative's) birth certificate: you only have so much control over who's born where and when.
Barring anything miraculous happening in the next few months, the USMNT now seems likely to head to Qatar with one keeper who's not a starter (Matt Turner at Arsenal) and two others starting matches in the English second division (Zack Steffen with Middlesbrough and Ethan Horvath at Luton Town).
So, three months out, we're here to wonder: Does any of that actually matter?