There is nothing more beautiful in this world than pride. Not in the conceited sense. But in the way that one person can feel overwhelming amounts of love and admiration for another person or group of people.

As this World Cup draws nearer and nearer, I’ve been thinking about what needs to happen in this tournament for it to be meaningful to me. And maybe it’s because it’s late and I’m tired and on a crowded subway train. Or because I feel overwhelmed by the names and formations and stats and tactics that have floated around my head for months. I don’t want any more “Meet the Team” articles or introductions to the “5 Key Players” on every squad or lukewarm re-hashings of “5 Things We Learned” from a friendly. But, all that I want from this World Cup are moments that give each fan what THEY want.

I want Aussies howling when Tim Cahill nods in a header then boxes with the corner flag. I want Colombian fans waking up on Sunday, June 15th, 2014 with the nervousness and excitement of a moment 16 years in the making. I want moments of joy and passion that don’t even exist yet, that I don’t even know that I want yet. I want every fan, seconds before kickoff, taking a breath, and muttering quietly to themselves, “This could be our moment.”

Because that’s what it is, isn’t it? We talk lineups and rosters. We agonize over fitness and form. We drown ourselves in facts and quick hits as conduits to get us to those fleeting moments of pride and joy and belief. Like rustling through a big box of junk in order to find that one gem.

As fans, we give ourselves up to fate and the unknown for those little flashes of vulnerable happiness and pride. Because those moments, distilled down past the context and form and history, are just beautiful little scenarios of people being proud of other people, and themselves.

So that’s what I hope for every person that turns an eye to Brazil this month. At least one of those moments. Hopefully more. Because in the end the soccer doesn’t matter. It’s the feeling of pride that every single fan gets, at least once, that makes everything worth it.

You can follow Maura on Twitter at @mgladys