FAIRMONT, U.S.A. — If I had a dirham for every time I’ve been called a mutt, I’d be as wealthy as a royal. The term third culture kid applies pretty neatly to me: my dad is Portuguese, my mom is Korean, I was born in the United States and I spent my formative teenage years in Brazil. I hold all of these countries dear to my heart, since each of them has played a pivotal role in shaping who I am.

However, things get messy when I’m forced to state my allegiance during the World Cup. This is serious business. While making the right choice could mean celebrating and feeling proud of my team, making the wrong one could be heartbreaking.

Choosing to cheer for one country over another is easy for some. My mom, for instance, will cheer for the United States over any team, even over her native South Korea. My dad — well, he just likes to win, so he dons the yellow and green of Brazil. Finally, my little sister is a die-hard Portugal fan whose decision was made easy by a certain Armani underwear model by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo.

How can someone love four countries equally? As for myself, I still can’t make up my mind. Choosing one over the other would be like denying part of my heritage. I love these teams for different reasons, and every World Cup grants a new dynamic to each team. That’s what makes each tournament unique.

It’s easy to cheer for the United States with their never-say-die, fight-til-the-end attitude. They play a tough brand of football with infrequent diving, and it’s refreshing to see players commit and play through their injuries. Captain Clint Dempsey, for instance, played with a broken nose against Portugal.

Rooting for Portugal is a rollercoaster ride. While the analysts gave the team fair chances of success, their actual performance was difficult to predict. Their team is strong all around, and players like the hot-headed Raul Meireles always make for an entertaining match.

The South Koreans show promise, and with more frequent successes on the international stage, like their upset over England during the 2012 Olympic Games, their team is becoming a powerhouse on the football scene.

Last, but certainly not least, there is Brazil. People joke about Brazilians having football imprinted into their DNA. The national team is a testament of this, with their flashy, high-powered offensive game and their solid defending. In spite of the Brazilian team being passionate and spirited, their distinctive brand of jogo bonito has been sorely missed during this World Cup.

It’s especially complicated for me to choose a team given that all of the teams to which I feel closely related consistently make appearances in the World Cup. Even worse, some of them play against each other. Portugal played against the United States on June 22, ending in a 2-2 draw. I don’t know how I would have reacted if one side had won. I didn’t give it too much thought though, since this was still the group stages and no one’s dreams were dashed just yet.

In the end, I won’t turn my back on any part of my heritage. Sharing both the joy in victory and the sadness in defeat with four very distinct cultures is something I would never give up. The unbridled joy of a Brazilian goal, the melancholy acceptance of a Portuguese loss, the surprise of a late comeback for the United States and the frustration of a Korean draw are all experiences that make the World Cup — and football itself — so addictive to me. These sensations are accompanied by the adrenaline rush of a spectacular play or the excitement after scoring a goal on the pitch yourself.

The beautiful game is beautiful beyond the physicality and elegance with which it is played. In a New York Times op-ed, David Brooks writes that, “In soccer, almost no task, except the penalty kick and a few others, is intrinsically individual … Even the act of touching the ball is not primarily defined by the man who is touching it; it is defined by the context created by all the other players.” Football is the only truly global sport. It has the power of bringing people together as a nation. Given my background, I have never been quite sure about where I belong. However, if supporting multiple teams allows me to feel closer to every country that means something to me, I am proud to call myself a mutt.