Multiple things can be true at the same time. American interest in the current World Cup is likely higher than it’s ever been for previous events. Fox Sports is extremely thrilled with the viewership and engagement they’ve been able to cultivate to this point. Soccer is, unscientifically, “having a moment.” Also, measuring the general popularity of a sport at its ultimate apex is probably just opening the door to watch it crater off a cliff when the party ends.

Hours before Spain and Belgium square off for a spot in the semifinals, Colin Cowherd took a look at the state of the sport.

“USA-Belgium got over 50 million viewers,” he observed. “Right now soccer is the cool club. The numbers tell you that.”

It’s a Super Bowl number. But it’s one night. And even the biggest soccer evangelist has to know there’s a stark reality coming. Because we can forecast out and say that a new generation has been inspired to play the game and the explosion in popularity that’s been coming for 40 years is just around the next corner. The truth is, we don’t really know.

If Cowherd wants to say soccer is cool, I won’t disagree with him. Kids are definitely into the World Cup. Then again I have three kids and if you think there’s a lot of object permanence at work, think again. They think it’s cool right now. That means nothing for four years down the road. Or four months. Heck, even four weeks.

This is coming from a person who would love it if soccer became more popular in the United States and is desperate to see the USMNT make an earnest run to a World Cup crown. I’m not saying anything negative about the sport at all. Fifty million viewers is an absurd number. It’s also a single data point fighting against decades of data points suggesting these brief flights of fancy never last very long.

We’ll know that soccer has finally made it when people stop trying to convince us that it has or will make it. This is one of the biggest rinse and repeat topics in all of sports. Mark my words, the exact same conversation we’re having right now will take place four years from now.

It has been a cool few weeks though.