The United States men's national team has an opportunity to make history on Monday night by reaching the World Cup quarterfinals in a game played on its home soil.With a win on Monday over Belgium, Team USA will be one of the "elite eight" remaining in the World Cup, making it the furthest they've gone since 2002.Soccer's popularity grew immensely when the 1994 USA team made it to the knockout stage on home soil, and John Harkes, one of the members of that team, which is the focal point of FOX ONE's "Summer of '94" docuseries, believes this year is a "full-circle moment."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMUSA's John Harkes (6) in action vs Switzerland Marc Hottiger (2) during Group Stage A match at Pontiac Silverdome.Pontiac, Michigan.
(John Biever/Getty Images)"I was with my son and his wife and our grandson and my wife at the (Round of 32) game, and the national anthem always hits me hard, and the emotions come.You look back on the years that we played and what we contributed to the game back in 1990 and '94.
It was massive being here.Thirty-two years on now, it's really important for us to tell the stories because these are new audiences, and they need to know the stories.
They need to know the history of the game, and that's part of the education that goes on in our country," Harkes told Fox News Digital in a recent interview."We're always trying to tell those stories the right way and have those platforms.The best way to do that is to win.
And now we have guys that are competing and playing all over the world with great talent, great skill, and we're seeing them now.But the emotions that come out in the stadium at these games are unreal for me to really control.
But I love it.I'm just so excited and happy that this is happening."Harkes admitted to feeling the added "pressure" of trying to grow the game in his home country, all while competing for soccer's most coveted trophy.
But it was something they had to "accept." They did that with the...