One week to go!

It’s hard to imagine that in a week I will be waiting for my plane to take off from New York City.

All the work and the preparation for my big trip to South Africa is seven days away. Shoot, I’ve spent that much time watching soccer games over the past four years.

My parents were justifiably concerned for my safety. Other family members wondered aloud whether I could afford it. My girlfriend wanted to ensure I had a place to sleep. But for me, the one big thing that left me fretting many nights was finalized Wednesday.

How am I going to get tickets to the matches?

Through a Facebook group and an obsession with the FIFA website for ticket availabilities I was able to find tickets to all three United States matches and what may be the most intriguing match of the first round Cote d Ivoire vs. Portugal.

From watching in heartache in 1994 as the US had a golden opportunity against Brazil in the Round of 16, to the embarrassment of 1998. There was the joy of the 2002 quarterfinal berth and the disgust for the loss to Ghana in 2006 I have followed American soccer for quite a while. Being able to see my first US matches in person — at the World Cup to boot — is going to be special.

Or as the person I bought my US-England ticket from told me. The World Cup is the one chance to act unabashedly pro-American and have no shame about it.

There are some minute details to hammer out, but the concerns of my family, friends and cheerful supporters have all be answered in one way or the other. Now all that is left is to enjoy the trip of a lifetime.