Who To Watch : The United States
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 is America’s superstar. The United State’s rough winger is known for not holding back and for picking fights with David Beckham while the two played for the LA galaxy. Donovan isn’t winning any awards for sportsmanship, but he is the most talented player in the USA home 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
Oneyewu was devastatingly injured in his first Serie A season, dashing the hope of the fans that had followed his successful seven season career in Belgian football. 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. Athough Howard initially failed to make a strong impression at Manchester United, he soon achieved success in his loaned stint as Everton in May 2006, so much so that Everton signed him on permanently 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.