By the time you read this, I’ll already be on my way — or already have been — to the Georgia Dome to watch the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The first game pits the United States against Jamaica; Mexico takes on Panama in the second clash.

Tickets have been sold out for more than a week. Prices on second-hand sites rose $15 or more across the board in the day it took me to decide to go. It’s going to be mayhem inside the Georgia Dome as more than 70,000 fans will be chanting back and forth throughout both games, trying to will their nations into the title match.

To be honest, it didn’t take me that long to know I wanted to go. Soccer, more so international soccer, had my heart since I went to summer camp in New Hampshire.

There was such an international influence at William Lawrence Camp each summer that you heard counselors argue and debate about their favorite club teams. When the World Cup happened — and I think I was there for one or two — chaos reigned.

Near the end of each summer, counselors would trade personal tokens, which often would included soccer jerseys being swapped for regional items from the U.S. There were two summers in a row where I brought home a Portugal national team jersey and one from Hertha BSC Berlin (Yeah, I don’t really know either, but go with it).

After I quit going back to William Lawrence Camp, I bought a new jersey every year from an online store. One spring my sister went abroad to England and brought me a reversible national jersey, which was absolutely one of my favorites to show off.

Through those purchases and trades, I grew to like soccer more. I don’t mind kicking the ball around — even though I still toe it when I shoot — and even served as goalie for the camp’s counselor team in our annual grudge match against Belknap. Yet, the true joy comes from watching soccer being played at the highest level — Premier League, UEFA Champions League, CONCACAF Gold Cup and the highest of them all, the World Cup. Last year I think I watched every game the United States played in Brazil and caught a majority of the other matches. The camaraderie that comes from cheering for your nation is second to none and one of the best memories was when I was in the St. Louis airport coming back from my interview in Athens and we huddled around this one bar that had one TV to watch the game against Belgium.

Today I’ll watch many of those same players from the United States Men’s National Team try to reach a sixth consecutive CONCACAF Gold Cup final. From what I’ve read about Jamaica, this game won’t be easy for the Yanks. Jamaica hasn’t allowed a goal in 287 minutes or something crazy like that and they always play them tough.

Win or lose, I’m really excited to see an international soccer game. I’m fired up to be in that atmosphere and will cross off yet another item from my sports bucket list.

P.S. — You should read the game story I wrote on a soccer match earlier this year.

P.P.S. — I know it’s Wednesday night, but I got a team member holding trivia down.