When you look at the history of the United States, it is a frontier land which from a point in the East spread out westwards as encapsulated by many a Western movie.
From a sporting perspective, soccer is still trying to conquer the hearts and minds in that frontier landscape.
But the good news for American soccer fans is that steady progress is being made.
As Ireland play the USA at the Aviva Stadium, let's take a look at American soccer's journey through its most important staging posts.
1913
This was the year that the USA was admitted to FIFA and also the year when America's version of the FA Cup - Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - was created. It came at a time when the main soccer league was only beaten in popularity by Major League Baseball.
1921
The American Soccer League was conceived. Although, it was primarily concentrated in the North East of the country, it was quite popular until its demise in the early 1930s due to the effects of the Great Depression and the Soccer Wars between the USFA and the league.
1930
USA participated in the very first FIFA World Cup, reaching the semi-final and finishing third.
Although it was only recognised in 2006, the first World Cup hat-trick was the work of an American player Bert Patenaude in a 3 - 0 victory over Paraguay.
The American side would also qualify for the 1934 tournament, which would be their last appearance until 1950.
1950
Although English newspapers thought it was a misprint and assumed that England had in fact beaten USA 10 - 1, the 1950 World Cup saw USA stun England 1 - 0 in Brazil, thanks to a goal by Haitian dishwasher Joe Gaetjens. He wasn't even a US citizen at the time of his goal. It remains one of the greatest World Cup upsets.
However, USA would not play at the World Cup for another 40 years.
1968
By the time the '60s came around, soccer in America was in the doldrums. But in 1968, the North American Soccer League was setup. Initially semi-pro, it would soon experience a shot in the arm.
1975
The league needed a superstar and no name was bigger than Brazil and Santos legend Pele who signed for the New York Cosmos. In that era, the NASL saw the influx of top class legends (albeit at the end of their careers) in Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Best and Giles.
In the latest episode of Team 33, we look into that era in great detail with the Cosmos's official club historian.
The upshot was that soccer re-entered public consciousness in the US.
1994
New York Cosmos owner Steve Ross had tried to bring the World Cup to the USA for 1986 as the NASL crumbled. But the USA finally got the tournament eight years later.
The tournament drew massive average attendances of 68,991 and also proved a big hit with TV audiences.
The US team also managed to make it out of its group.
1996
The MLS was founded and despite initial struggles, it has grown steadily. Indeed average attendances are above NHL and the NBA. Creating a professional league was part of the deal when FIFA awarded the World Cup to one of the last frontiers for soccer.
2002
USA did the unthinkable and reached the World Cup quarter-final and were unfortunate to lose to Germany.
2014
The USA's World Cup journey proved popular with fans and captured the imagination. Even US president Barack Obama got in on the act with a much-publicized phonecall to goalkeeper Tim Howard and striker Clint Dempsey. 0
The team's matches against Belgium and Portugal also drew in excess of 24 million TV viewers.
MLS attendances currently stand at an average of 19,000 (up from a low of 13,000 at the turn of the Millennium) and the league itself has been growing steadily with fan culture and an increased profile and youth participation.
