IRVINE, United States, June 9, (V7N) – Under dazzling blue California skies, the United States soccer team held its first World Cup training session at the co-hosts' base camp Monday. For the 5,500 local fans with tickets to attend — the lucky ones among a lottery entered by 33,000 — optimism for the tournament about to kick off in their backyard was even brighter. "I think they can achieve a lot. I think a quarter-final berth would be expected at this stage," said 43-year-old fan Eric Gordon.

That positive outlook, widely shared among supporters who spoke with AFP, has not always been the case for the US men's national team. "A couple years ago my dad and me were counting passes in one of the (US) games and we couldn't even count up to five — so from that perspective, we're looking a lot better!" joked 16-year-old Paige Dixon. "Quarter-finals... anything less, I would be a little disappointed," she agreed.

It is a contrast to the first World Cup on US soil in 1994, which still holds the all-time attendance record at 3.6 million. Back then, expectations for the host team were low, but the US beat heavily favored Colombia to reach the last 16, and the seeds for an American soccer boom were sown. For supporter Gordon, that tournament "changed my life" when he was 12. "I became a soccer fanatic after that. And I'm hoping the same thing for my nephew" this time, he said.

US captain Tim Ream said a home World Cup is "a once-in-a-career opportunity" that comes with considerably "more expectation and more pressure." Goalkeeper Matt Freese recalled being "inspired by the previous generation" as a child and hopes his crop can do the same to propel the US further up the global soccer food chain. "There's a compounding effect to it... hopefully we inspire the next generation," he said.

The US finds itself in Group D, kicking off against Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday. Should the US finish runner-up, they could play Iran in the first knockout round — a meeting with immense geopolitical consequences. Ramin Nayebzadeh, an Iranian-American attending training with his son, said: "Originally I'm from Iran but we don't support the team because of the regime. As an American, we support the US team." His nine-year-old son Arta beamed: "I think they will win the World Cup."

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