| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Marcus Hahnemann | Goalkeeper | Reading (England) |
| Tim Howard | Goalkeeper | Manchester United (England) |
| Kasey Keller | Goalkeeper | Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany) |
| Chris Albright | Defender | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Carlos Bocanegra | Defender | Fulham (England) |
| Steve Cherundolo | Defender | Hannover 96 (Germany) |
| Jimmy Conrad | Defender | Kansas City Wizards |
| Gregg Berhalter | Defender | Energie Cottbus (Germany) |
| Eddie Lewis | Defender | Leeds United (England) |
| Oguchi Onyewu | Defender | Standard Liege (Belgium) |
| Eddie Pope | Defender | Real Salt Lake |
| DaMarcus Beasley | Midfielder | PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) |
| Bobby Convey | Midfielder | Reading (England) |
| Clint Dempsey | Midfielder | New England Revolution |
| Landon Donovan | Midfielder | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| Pablo Mastroeni | Midfielder | Colorado Rapids |
| John O'Brien | Midfielder | Chivas USA |
| Ben Olsen | Midfielder | DC United |
| Claudio Reyna | Midfielder | Manchester City (England) |
| Brian Ching | Forward | Houston Dynamo |
| Eddie Johnson | Forward | Kansas City Wizards |
| Brian McBride | Forward | Fulham (England) |
| Josh Wolff | Forward | Kansas City Wizards |
| Head Coach: | Bruce Arena | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Bruce Arena is an astute tactician who likes to change things up and isn't tied to one formation. The one setup he does seem partial to is a 4-4-1-1 scheme, where Landon Donovan plays behind the main striker, Brian McBride, dropping into midfield as a playmaker. Arena likes to see his team score from set pieces and corner kicks, so expect several players to move forward into the penalty area on dead ball situations. The U.S. has plenty of speed, and uses it on the counter-attack and in making quick sort passes inside the offensive half of the field to break down their opponents. McBride is quick and a deadly finisher, but he is also adept at holding the play up and finding a teammate who's in a better scoring position. Captain Claudio Reyna is a Patrick Vieira-type player - solid defensively and effective distributing the ball - and DaMarcus Beasley has great pace down the wing. The two outside fullbacks, Steve Cherundolo and Eddie Lewis, will be expected to make overlapping runs down the flanks and provides crosses into the middle.
Probable starting formation (4-4-1-1): (GK) Kasey Keller - (D) Eddie Lewis, Oguchi Onyewu, Eddie Pope, Steve Cherundolo - (M) DaMarcus Beasley, Pablo Mastroeni, Claudio Reyna, Clint Dempsey - (M/F) Landon Donovan - (F) Brian McBride.
Strengths:
Goalkeeping - The United States has the unique luxury of being able to
call on two world class goalkeepers. Starter Kasey Keller of German club Borussia
Monchengladbach is an experienced shot stopper and has played in Europe for
close to 15 years. Tim Howard, a backup at Manchester United, is a classy
understudy who is capable of making brilliant saves.
Team chemistry - Coach Bruce Arena has brilliantly moulded an efficient
American squad comprised of Major League Soccer stars and players plying their
trade in Europe. Landon Donovan (Los Angeles) and Eddie Johnson (Kansas City)
provide scoring punch and youthful commitment. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller (Borussia
Monchengladbach) , forward Brian McBride (Fulham) and midfielder Claudio Reyna
(Manchester City) bring experience to the national team.
Coaching - Bruce Arena may not be the most personable of men, but there's
no questioning his coaching acumen. He's won titles at the college and professional
level, he's tactically astute, and he knows how to get the most out of his
players, who have the utmost confidence in him. He has eight years of experience
as national team coach and led the Americans to the quarter-finals at the
2002 World Cup.
Weaknesses:
The Reyna factor - Much of the American attack flows through the feet
of midfielder and team captain Claudio Reyna. He is the lone creative playmaker
for the squad and if he is effectively marked and contained, the U.S. attack
will instantly shut down. He's been bothered by a hamstring injury and questions
are being asked about his fitness. Without him at peak form, the U.S. attack
will sputter.
Untested in qualifying - Beating teams such as Grenada, Panama and
Jamaica in CONCACAF qualifying is one thing, beating top European sides at
the World Cup is quite another. The U.S. rolled through the qualifying rounds
without breaking a sweat - Mexico provided them with their only stiff competition.
Having weak competition in qualifying does them no favours when they land
in Germany and must take on Italy and the Czech Republic.
Tough group - The United States will quickly find out that routinely
beating up on weak teams in CONCACAF is not ideal preparation for meeting
world-class teams the calibre of Italy and the Czech Republic, their first
two opponents in the tournament. Both the Italians and Czechs have more experience
and talent than the Americans, meaning the U.S. will be hard-pressed to walk
away with a point from those two games. Ghana is hardly a pushover, either.
Players to watch:
DaMarcus Beasley - A dangerous winger who uses his speed and quickness
to trouble opposing defenders. Beasley, a star with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven,
possesses solid defensive skills and doesn't mind dropping back to lend support
to his defenders. A real livewire out on the left wing, he provides quality
service for the forwards and chips in by scoring the odd goal.
Claudio Reyna - The 32-year-old team captain is perhaps the most important
member of the U.S. squad, as he is able to dictate the pace of a game with
his subtle ball control. This will be his fourth World Cup, so he has lots
of experience and provides the U.S. with valuable leadership on the field.
He never loses his cool and maintains possession of the ball even when he's
under pressure.
Landon Donovan - The best player in Major League Soccer (the U.S. first
division) the past five years, Donovan is a wonderfully talented forward with
a real goal-scorer's instinct and a mean shot. Tall and strong, he's also
very versatile: He can play as a forward or anywhere in midfield. A dangerous
player who uses his quickness to beat defenders.
Key injuries/squad omissions: Defender Chris Albright took the place of Frankie Hejduk, who tore a knee ligament. In a bit of a surprise, coach Bruce Arena did not pick Los Angeles Galaxy striker Taylor Twellman, Major League Soccer's 2005 MVP. Instead, Arena selected Brian Ching. U.S. captain Claudio Reyna has been bothered by a hamstring injury lately and there are questions about the playmaker's fitness. Defender Cory Gibbs was originally named to the roster but had to withdraw after suffering a knee injury in a recent exhibition game. He was replaced by Gregg Berhalter.
Prognosis: Once considered soccer lightweights, the United States is now the king of CONCACAF. For the longest time, Mexico ruled North American soccer while the U.S. staggered along aimlessly, failing to qualify for nine consecutive tournaments between 1954 and 1986. But ever since hosting the 1994 World Cup, the U.S. has emerged as a legitimate soccer power, advancing to the quarter-finals four years ago and developing a deep pool of talent who play both home and abroad. That said, its No. 5 ranking in the current FIFA rankings is a bit of a joke (the team is nowhere near that good). Don't believe the hype about the U.S. having the ability to make it to the semifinals in Germany - even coach Bruce Arena admitted ther e isn't much separating this American team and the one that lost all three of its first-round matches at the 1998 World Cup. It will finish ahead of Ghana in third but will be heading home after the first round.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #5
1st round matches:
June 12 vs. Czech Republic in Gelsenkirchen
June 17 vs. Italy in Kaiserslautern
June 22 vs. Ghana in Nuremburg
2006 qualification route: The U.S. beat Grenada in a two-game playoff
in the first round of CONCACAF qualifying. It finished in first place (12
points) in Group 1 during the second stage ahead of Panama (8 points). It
finished in first place (22 points) in the final stage ahead of Mexico (22
points)
Qualifying record: 18 games played, 12 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses
Goals for: 35 Goals against: 11
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Eddie Johnson and Landon Donovan (7)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
June 13, 2004 - U.S. 3, Grenada 0
June 20, 2004 - Grenada 2, U.S. 3
Aug. 18, 2004 - Jamaica 1, U.S. 1
Sept. 4, 2004 - U.S. 2, El Salvador 0
Sept. 8, 2004 - Panama 1, U.S. 1
Oct. 9, 2004 - El Salvador 0, U.S. 2
Oct. 13, 2004 - U.S. 6, Panama 0
Nov. 17, 2004 - U.S. 1, Jamaica 1
Feb. 9, 2005 - Trinidad and Tobago 1, U.S. 2
March 27, 2005 - Mexico 2, U.S. 1
March 30, 2005 - U.S. 2, Guatemala 0
June 4, 2005 - U.S. 3, Costa Rica 0
June 8, 2005 - Panama 0, U.S. 3
Aug. 17, 2005 - U.S. 1, Trinidad and Tobago 0
Sept. 3, 2005 - U.S. 2, Mexico 0
Sept. 7, 2005 - Guatemala 0, U.S. 0
Oct. 8, 2005 - Costa Rica 3, U.S. 0
Oct. 12, 2005 - U.S. 2, Panama 0
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1913
Team nickname: The Stars and Stripes
All-time caps leader: Cobi Jones (164)
All-time leading scorer: Eric Wynalda (34 goals)
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 7
All-time record: 22 games played, 6 wins, 2 draws, 14 losses
Goals for: 25 Goals against: 45
World Cup History:
1930 - Semifinals
1934 - First round
1938 - Did not enter
1950 - First round
1954 to 1986 - Did not qualify
1990 - First round
1994 - Second round
1998 - First round
2002 - Quarter-finals
Biggest victory: 3-0 vs. Belgium and Paraguay in 1930
Biggest defeat: 7-1 vs. Italy in 1934
Overall top scorer: Bert Patenaude (4 goals)
Most appearances: Cobi Jones and Earnie Stewart (11 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: 1994
Past Achievements:
CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions: 1991, 2002, 2005
Greatest Players:
Bert Patenaude: Patenaude was a key member of the 1930 U.S. World Cup
team that reached the semifinals. He is also credited with scoring the first
hat trick in World Cup history.
John Harkes: Harkes is one of the most accomplished American-born soccer players ever, leading D.C. United to back-to-back MLS Cup championships in 1996 and 1997. He also played in England and represented the U.S. at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.