USA

Rank: 14 World Cup appearances: 9 tournaments Best result: Third Place (1930)   Top SCORERS (QUALIFYING) Clint Dempsey (8) For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.   Did you know? The USA open the 2014 World Cup against Ghana, the same nation that eliminated them in the Round of 16 at the last tournament.

The days are long gone when it was a surprise for the United States to reach the World Cup finals, but for a country used to sporting success they are still some way short of making a major impact on the tournament.
It remains one of the final sporting frontiers for the United States to conquer although they reached the semifinals in 1930 and caused one of soccer's greatest upsets when they beat England the last time that the World Cup was held in Brazil in 1950.
Since that inaugural event they have reached the quarterfinals just once, in 2002, although this will be the United States' seventh successive appearance in the finals, a consistent run bettered only by Brazil, Italy, Argentina, Germany, Spain and South Korea.
With both England and the US in this summer's tournament, Belo Horizonte officials had been hoping they would be drawn together for a re-match in their city, but the draw was unkind to them.
Instead the US will try and create some new legends of their own in Natal, Manaus and Recife where Klinsmann faces his compatriots in the last of their group games.
If his men can do to the Germans what the 1950 Americans did to England, who would predict how far the US can go?

STRENGTH
Depth in midfield
The US have a solid team with a lot of depth in the midfield and an experienced coach who knows what it takes to win the sport's ultimate prize. The main strength of the team is their central midfield, particularly Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones, who provide the steel and overall focus to dominate the centre of the park.

WEAKNESS
Backline
Defence remains a weakness and Klinsmann has not yet settled on his best unit. He has opted for Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler as his central defensive pairing but there are question marks when they are up against top strikers. If they flop, it is likely to be because their defence has not held up.

Michael Bradley: Klinsmann has transformed the all-American footballer into a tactically sound defensive midfielder.

ONE TO WATCH
Michael Bradley
Every team has a player who embodies the spirit of the side. For the United States, that player is undoubtedly Michael Bradley.
The 26-year-old is the heart and soul of a team that has punched above its weight at international level for years but still wants more.
Capped more than 80 times, Bradley has emerged as the central figure in the team's World Cup plans, marshalling the midfield with dogged determination.
Under coach Juergen Klinsmann, Bradley has been transformed from a defensive midfielder to the playmaker, combining his tactical and technical nous to better effect.
Unlike a lot of the American players, Bradley has spent most of his professional career in Europe, mainly in Germany and Italy, where he has learned to control his temper.
But he left Europe at the start of this year, to join Major League Soccer club Toronto, and has been playing more regularly to the delight of Klinsmann.

Coach: Juergen Klinsmann
For a man who has spent half his life living and playing in foreign countries, Juergen Klinsmann seems the perfect fit as the United States head coach.
Personifying the mantra that you should practise what you preach, Klinsmann's globe-trotting exploits have made him the ideal man to lead an American team drawn from all corners of the world. In 2011, Klinsmann accepted the job as US national coach in what is perhaps his biggest challenge yet, and laid down plans to scour the globe for the best American players.

Squad
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg),  Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders)
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)