After qualifying for next summer's World Cup, the U.S. men's national team players doused each other with foamy beer while chanting "We are going to Brazil!"
Which players actually go to Brazil, however, could take several months to decide. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann must submit his final 23-man roster for the World Cup on June 2, 2014, just 10 days before the month-long tournament begins. But Klinsmann only has a handful of opportunities to scrutinize his players before then.
The U.S. national team has two more qualifying games this year, with an Oct. 11 game against Jamaica in Kansas City and an Oct. 15 game against Panama in Panama City. The team then plays two European friendly matches in November, followed by a team training camp in January and a game on March 5. Opponents and venues those games haven't been released yet.
"We wanted to get it done as quickly as possible — it is important, and it makes a lot of things easier for us on the federation side to plan things ahead," Klinsmann said after the 2-0 victory against Mexico on Tuesday night in Columbus. "We can finalize things for Brazil, we can look at friendly games in November, so it's definitely important."
Only a handful of veteran players are likely guaranteed spots in Brazil: starting goalie Tim Howard has proven himself invaluable, as has midfielder Michael Bradley and forwards Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, who has scored six goals for the team in 2013.
The upcoming games could be a chance for younger, less experienced national team players to try and punch their ticket for the World Cup. During the Mexico game, midfielders Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya and Mix Diskerud, as well as defensemen Clarence Goodson all played important roles.
The men received playing time after Altidore and defensemen Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron sat due to yellow card accumulation. Bradley, who suffered a rolled ankle just minutes before the USA's disappointing 3-1 loss against Costa Rica last week, also sat.
After the victory, Klinsmann told reporters that all of the players realize the competition it will take to earn one of the 23 spots.
"There's another guy behind them in every position," Klinsmann said. "If he doesn't give everything he has, the next one comes in and steals his spot."
That means the majority of the spots could be up for grabs, putting into question a number of national team veterans, such as midfielder Jermaine Jones, forward Herculez Gomez or defenseman DaMarcus Beasley. Landon Donovan, who is the team's all-time leader in scoring and assists, said he believes even his spot could be up for grabs.
"There's no guarantee that any of us are at the World Cup next year," Donovan said after the Mexico victory.
Retired national team member Eric Wynalda said he believes the competition to make the team has been a major boost to the squad. Wynalda, who was the team's all-time leading scorer until 2008, said previous coaches sometimes played favorites, which hurt the team.
"It sometimes felt like a good old boys club," said Wynalda, who is now the technical director for the Atlanta Silverbacks. "With Klinsmann, nobody is living off of yesterday, and that's something we never really had."
Wynalda said he believes the team still has room to improve on defense, and that the team could add speed to its roster, specifically with the outside midfielders. But he believes the current squad is the best national team he has seen play.
"A couple of things need to come together for [the World Cup]," Wynalda said. "Jurgen might have the key to take us into a room we've never been in."
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