Craig Gordon admits he thought the chance to go to a World Cup with Scotland had "passed him by".
Steve Clarke's side qualified for the tournament with a thrilling 4-2 win over Denmark at Hampden last November - the first Scottish team to reach the World Cup since 1998.
The 43-year-old Gordon made his international debut against Trinidad and Tobago at Easter Road in 2004 but has missed chunks of his career through injury - indeed, he was out of the game for two years before signing for Celtic in 2014 and missed a lot of last season at Hearts with a shoulder injury.
However, the goalkeeper and his Scotland team-mates are at their training base in Charlotte, North Carolina, preparing for the opening game against Haiti in Foxborough on Saturday.
Gordon, who will be the oldest player at the World Cup, said: "Magnificent to be here. After all the years of trying, not only personally but as a country, to get here, so delighted to be here.
"It feels like it's getting real now and we're the last few days away from getting into the games for real.
"Without doubt, I thought this opportunity had passed me by on more than one occasion.
"So to finally be here to be part of something this big, to finally see it, it's a huge moment for any player in their career.
"And especially for me, for the many years I've been trying to get here, to finally be here on the edge of the tournament starting properly, it's a fantastic feeling.
"I also feel that the team's ready and we're looking forward to that first match."
Gordon made just three league appearances this season as Hearts' title challenge ultimately came up just short on the final day.
"It's been a tough year and there's just been a lot of things to contend with," Gordon added.
"I made a few comebacks in my career and this was another one I wanted to make.
"I wanted to give it everything I possibly could to make it here. Especially after that night against Denmark, the feelings that everybody had.
"So to be part of this squad again was something that was a huge driving factor to get me through that and to give myself the opportunity to get here and be part of the squad."
Angus Gunn was handed the number one jersey and played the whole 90 minutes in the 4-0 win against Bolivia in New Jersey on Saturday but Gordon believes a starting position against Haiti at the weekend is still up for grabs, with games against Morocco and Brazil to follow.
The former Sunderland keeper said: "There's no indications whatsoever, that's nothing new.
"We've got a few days left of training to try and impress and show that we're the one to take that position, that goes for all of us and I'm no different.
"So, train as well as I possibly can over the next few days and see who the manager picks."
