England, Slovenia, and Algeria should be sitting up a little straighter today because the United States has now qualified for the World Cup finals, beating out the recently defeated Mexico and World Cup victors Italy. Bob Bradley’s team are hopeful of progressing beyond the first phase of the competition for the first time since 2002 and to do so, they are going to have to rely on the performances of some key players.
Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) 123 caps 42 goals
Donovan must be considered as America’s primary weapon in the finals. The boisterous winger, known for being outspoken, has already engaged in conflicts with David Beckham while Beckham played at LA Galaxy. However, despite that, Donovan is the best player in the 2010 USA soccer jersey. The way that Donovan’s trademark technique, speed, and ability to control the ball with ease to score goals will make him a key player for the United States.
Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan) 54 caps 5 goals
Injury put a premature end to Onyewu’s first season in Serie A with Milan after seven successful seasons in Belgian football with Metz, La Louviere and most notably of all, Standard Liege. Oneyewu, the tall, strong defender that is making other teams take notice of the US national team, first signed with Milan last July, with high hopes after winning two titles for Standard in the Belgian league. Despite his injury problems in 2009-2010, which restricted Onyewu to just one appearance for Milan in Serie A, the powerful defender will hopefully be fully fit to provide a key link in the United States defensive line at the World Cup finals this summer.
Tim Howard (Everton) 51 caps 0 goals
Bob Bradley has had much to celebrate as Tim Howard gained notoriety as one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League. After an uninspiring spell with Manchester United, Howard moved to Everton, initially on loan, in May 2006 and such was his impact that Everton made the signing permanent in 2007. Howard has not looked back since, being constantly named as one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers and even earning the best goalkeeper award in the 2009 Confederations Cup tournament in South Africa, beating Italy’s Gigi Buffon, Spain’s Iker Casillas and Brazil’s Julio Cesar to the award.
Clint Dempsey (Fulham) 62 caps 18 goals
Both Dempsey and Fulham rejoiced after a radiant 2009-2010 season, that included Dempsey’s extraordinary chipped winner that resulted in a ride into the Europa League semi-final in the lead of Juventus. A clever striker or winger, Dempsey has the happy knack of being able to score crucial goals at crucial times, both for his club and his country. With Dempsey and Donovan complementing each other’s play, the US will see improved attacks in the future.
