The old adage says that if you keep your expectations low, you won’t be disappointed when things don’t happen the way you want. That seems to be the course Colorado Rapids forward and Denver native Conor Casey is taking on whether he’ll represent the U.S. in the World Cup this summer in South Africa.

“You don’t really have expectations for anything, you’re not going to be let down,” Casey tells The Associated Press. “Of course I want to make the team. I’m just not expecting it.”

Casey won’t have to wait long, as the final national team roster is expected to be announced on May 11 by coach Bob Bradley. The players who make the 26-28-man roster are set to begin practice May 17 at Princeton, New Jersey, and then only 23 players will go on to the actual World Cup games.

Predictions on Casey’s fate on the national team range from “no way” (Bleacher Report) to “maybe” (World Soccer Reader). Rapids coach Gary Smith says there’s no doubt in his mind that Casey should make the cut, but he’s up against a much more prolific goal scorer in the L.A. Galaxy’s Edson Buddle and other stars.

Casey says he’d bring consistency to the U.S. team, but he’s not sure what’s causing his lack of goals so far this year (just three) in Major League Soccer. Casey believes he’s on the brink of breaking out of his slump, but he isn’t going to stress himself out about his goal production or his chances for making the U.S. team.