ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Perry Van der Beck was drafted by the Rowdies out of high school in 1978. He went on to make 190 appearances for the franchise across multiple leagues.
He made his U.S. national team debut in 1979 and made 23 appearances for Team USA. Now, the former midfielder is watching this year's World Cup with a sense of pride — and confidence.
"Well, it's an honor. And obviously, you're representing your country," Van der Beck said when talking about wearing the red, white, and blue. "All of my teammates, myself included, were wearing that with pride. Any time you get a chance to represent your country, it's the top of your career."
Van der Beck reflected on how much the national program has changed since his playing days, pointing to the growth of the player pool, federation resources, and the role MLS has played in developing talent.
"It was a different generation. Obviously, the player pool has expanded. With the Federation, the expenses, what we had at that time," he explained. "Then, the MLS comes into the picture. And what they've done to provide a development pathway for a lot of our players. And a lot of those players are going into Europe. Now they're playing at the highest level in the world."
Perry's been to two games at this year's tournament, and he watched every possible second of the other games on TV. He said the global energy surrounding the tournament is what has made this summer's event such a huge success.
"It's huge. It's fantastic. The support that we've gotten from the fans, not just in this country, but the fan support around the world," he said. "You look at everything that's going on with the games and everything like that… all the videos have gone viral."
The U.S. enters the knockout stage tonight, facing Bosnia-Herzegovina at 8 p.m. in the round of 32. Van der Beck said the team is ready for the moment.
"Now, we're into the round of 32. We've gotta take it one game at a time. But we're on the right path, and I think we're going to surprise some teams."
Van der Beck doesn't hesitate when he says he thinks the U.S. is destined to win a World Cup.
"I do believe that. In my heart, I do believe that. It's just a matter of time."
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