Thirty years ago, this nation was sliding into recession and in the grip of a lagging economy.

We were hamstrung in the Middle East by extremists who took hostage our citizens just because they were Americans.

Businesses were failing, gas prices were soaring and times were tough for everyone.

But early that year we saw the best of ourselves.

At the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, a scrappy team of college kids took on the most storied hockey dynasty in the world and won. Our boys beat the Russians to chants around the nation of “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

Their win in that critical game and in the following game for the gold medal gave us hope in tough times. It brought us together and reminded us that our spirit and determination are unrivaled anywhere in the world, and are at the heart of what makes us a nation.

Now, 30 years later, we are again reminded of the power of sport and what it can do for our country.

For 90 minutes on Saturday, most of the eyes in this country will again be on the world stage, where our boys will go onto a soccer field with the simple goal of winning, but also with a higher purpose.

As a “soccer dad” who has lost count of all the youth games I have attended over the last couple decades, I will be watching, too.

During the 90 minutes my youngest daughter is on the soccer field, I’m not a businessman or a congressman. The worries of the day melt away, the cell phone is turned off and I am just a soccer dad. I stand there with the rest of the soccer dads, watching our daughters give them best of themselves for a sport they love.

It is a game of grace, a game of beauty. My four children have all played, and learned valuable lessons exemplified by the U.S. team for which we will cheer on Saturday.

Those lessons represent many of the many things we must do as a nation if we are to set ourselves on the right course: teamwork, discipline, self-sacrifice, personal responsibility, decency, fair-play. (Although if we have one more goal taken away in this tournament I may have to call for a Congressional inquiry.)

So to the U.S. National Soccer Team, I say this: Thank you. Thank you for reminding us that a beautiful moment in sport viewed in the company of friends, neighbors and fellow citizens is one of the things that makes us Americans. Thank you for reminding us of what we share in common, and that our shared beliefs and ideals can help us come together.

And to my fellow citizens, fans and “soccer dads” I say this: For 90 minutes on Saturday we get to be one nation. For 90 minutes we can be one people. For 90 minutes we will be united in one cause.

We will, unapologetically, cheer with great national pride for our country. We will set aside our worries about tough times and instead chant, “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” as we did in 1980.

We will, as we did then, be reminded that we bow before no nation, that we submit to no other authority, that we make no apologies for our belief that we are the greatest country on earth.

We will rally behind a team that represents the best of our commitment, our diversity and our unity, and be reminded of what we can do as a people.

During those 90 minutes we will not be Democrats or Republicans. We will not be divided by religion or geography or ideology. We will not care about the things that keep us apart, and for 90 minutes will be filled with the deep pride that comes from being Americans.

And that will be a very good 90 minutes, indeed.