Brenden Aaronson is "super-excited" at the thought of a home World Cup, but disappointed for those team-mates who did not get the call they were hoping for.
Now his hope is that they use the disappointment as "fuel" in next season's Premier League.
Despite being named in the United States of America squad leaked to the media on Saturday afternoon, Leeds United's Aaronson had to wait until Tuesday evening UK time until his place was confirmed.
To play in a World Cup is an incredible personal feat for any professional footballer, but home tournaments are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
Co-host with Canada and Mexico in 2026, the only time the USA has held the tournament on its own was in 1994. Despite all its footballing infrastructure and passion for the game, the only time England hosted the World Cup was 60 years ago.
"It's super exciting," said Aaronson.
"It's going to be a dream for me and my family. For them to be at the games and for me to represent my country in the World Cup on home soil is something that I'll never forget."
The US are in a group with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey, with 32 of the 48 teams progressing to the knockout stages in the biggest competition in the tournament's 96-year history.
CALL-UP: Leeds United player Brenden Aaronson is in the United States of America's World Cup squad (Image: Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)placeholder image
CALL-UP: Leeds United player Brenden Aaronson is in the United States of America's World Cup squad (Image: Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
Club-mates Gabriel Gudmundsson and Ao Tanaka are due to play against one another for Sweden and Japan and Switzerland have called on Noah Okafor, but England's Dominic Calvert-Lewin and German Anton Stach missed out on selection.
"We were together when they got their announcements and I saw them the next day," recalled Aaronson.
"I'm devastated for them. I think both of them deserve to go.
"They've had fantastic seasons here and they've played at such a high level throughout the year. It's really tough to not see them go but I think they'll use that as fire for next season and get ready to come back into it."
OVERLOOKED: Anton Stach (left) has been left out by Germany (Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)placeholder image
OVERLOOKED: Anton Stach (left) has been left out by Germany (Image: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris was left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-man squad, with former Leeds players Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie selected alongside Sebastian Berhalter and Cristian Roldan as the central midfielders.