U.S. World Cup Preview Part II: Legitimate Expectations

The time is upon us. The World Cup is set to kickoff in less than a day away with the US debuting in less than two days. Head Coach Bob Bradley chose a very young, exciting and talented team but an inexperienced one to bring in South Africa. This World Cup expectations are real. Anything less than advancing to the knockout stage will be seen as utter and total failure.

Goalkeepers
Quality goalkeeping has often been a strength of U.S. teams whether it be Kasey Keller or Brad Friedel. Expect this year to be no different with star goalkeeper Tim Howard. Last summer's Confederations Cup showed just how far a team can advance with a red hot keeper with Tim Howard leading the way to a second place finish. The weakness of Howard used to be his inconsistent play on services into the box. He has fine-tuned his game to read those crosses better though now and become a staple of the Everton defense. The U.S. boasts one of the deepest goalkeeping trios and while that starts with Howard they are not short of options behind him. If the worst were to happen and Howard were to go down Marcus Hahnemann would most likely step in. The 37-year-old American debuted back in '94 but only began to see more time in '03. Next in line would be Brad Guzan, a steady, but unspectacular keeper.

Defense
The biggest fear the U.S. may have this summer is a suspect defense leaking goals. A lot of that will have to do with the health of Oguchi Onyewu and to a lesser extenxt Carlos Bocanegra. The U.S. defense is much stronger when they can put team captain Bocanegra on the left and allow him some freedom to push forward. However, a lot of that depends on whether Onyewu is good to go and what point he is fit to play. Onyewu has yet to play a full 90 minutes since tearing his patellar tendon seven months ago just when he was starting to get quality time for world renown AC Milan. When healthy Onyewu is the U.S.'s best defender due to his shere size and physical play coupled with his ability to read the game so effectively. If Onyewu is healthy he will be paired with a hard-nosed tackler in Jay DeMerit. The Watford defender looks so much more comfortable when he has Onyewu alongside him. However, if Onyewu is unable to go come Saturday the U.S. may turn to University of Maryland product Clarence Goodson. Goodson is excellent in the air and couple be key to shutting down or at the very least slowing down the effectiveness of an aerial threat such as Peter Crouch. The problem is that DeMerit's play seems to suffer when paired along with Goodson whether it be a lack of chemistry or whether their styles do not mesh. In that case the Bob Bradley may push Bocanegra into the middle and continue the perennial black hole at left back for the U.S. In such a case it would come down to Jonathan Spector or Jonathan Bornstein. Spector played every minute of last summer's Confederation's Cup and provided some very promising services. However, he is clearly more comfortable on the right as exhibited by his inconsistent play at left back for West Ham with past season. Hopefully the last resort for the U.S. is converted forward Bornstein. Bornstein has excellent speed and can be dangerous at times pushing forward, but too often his caught out of position and is very susceptible to the counter attack: a weakness the U.S. cannot afford with their defend and counter style of play. The last of the U.S. defenders is longtime Hannover 96 defender Steve Cherundolo who is appearing in his third World Cup for the Yanks. Cherundolo is an small, but scrappy defender who provides steady play to a largely inconsistent back line. Cherundolo should get the nod over Spector going into the opener against England.

Midfield
For the U.S. to score goals they will need strong wing play from veterans Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Unlike last go round, Donovan has embraced the expectations for both him and the team. He has finally silenced the doubters with strong play for Fulham in the Premiership while on loan. On the other wing Clint Dempsey may just be the U.S.'s most dangerous weapon. Due to a surefire partner for Altidore there has been talk of moving Dempsey up top. But watching Clint's play it is clear he is much more comfortable and dangerous attacking people along the wing where he has freedom instead of being a stationary target man up top. However, Dempsey will surely see sometime up top late in games to provide a spark or shut the door as he did against Spain in the U.S.'s monumental upset last summer. Unlike the wingers, the central midfield is not so solidified. The one staple is Michael Bradley who will in all liklihood be paired with various partners depending on the opponent and situation. While Bradley's passing is suspect at times, he brings excellent pace to the game and is not afraid to do the dirty work. He evens provides some offense with his ability to be in the right place at the right time with nothing pretty about it. Bradley will need to avoid missing the consequential match due to excessive bookings as he has done in the 2007 CONCOCAF Gold Cup and the 2009 Confederations Cup. Ricardo Clark will most likely start alongside Bradley against the English squad. Clark is a gritty player who plays solid defense but is no real offensive threat. An intriguing name and one that is growing in popularity is Jose Torres. When Torres has been given the opportunity in recent play he has demonstrated outstanding play. He is very viable on the attack and shown an ability to win crucial tackles, a weakness often sighted by critics. With the opportunity and strong performance Torres could win himself a big transfer this summer. Two other names that could have impact are fellow youngsters Stuart Holden and Benny Feilhaber. Both have played strong at times and disappeared at others. Their inconsistent play will in all likelihood prevent them from securing a starting spot. In a close game in need of a game changer though they could provide that spark off the bench. Another young and rising player is Maurice Edu. Edu while not known for his offense has scored a handful of goals highlighted by his game winner against Glascow Rangers in the Old Firm. Edu plays a solid defensive midfield and can play center back in a pinch. The last of the midfielders is DeMarcus Beasley. Less than a year ago Beasley was exiled from international play for his largely inconsistent form and failure to attack defenders. He earned his way onto this roster and although not a game changer, he does provide experience to a fairly youthful squad.

Forwards
The U.S. striking force is headlined by a real American star in Jozy Altidore. The budding star will need to provide timely goals for the U.S. to succeed. The question really is who to pair with Altidore since Charlie Davies was not fit to make the roster. The choice looks more and more like it will be Edson Buddle. He was scoring goals at will in the MLS and that earned him a shot on the team. Up until the Atrailia friendly no striker had nailed down the spot opening the door for Buddle who put his goal scoring on display with two goals. A real dynamic player could be speedster in Robbie Findley. Findley's addition to the roster shows the emphasis Bob Bradley is placing on speed. Findley can blow by defenders already, imagine a fresh Findley running down a ball against a tired defender. The one thing Findley will need to do is finish his opportunities though. The U.S. defend and counter strategy cannot afford to waste opportunities. The last of the forwards is surprise golden boot winner of Mexico's premier division Herculez Gomez. He has scored his fair share of timely goals and will look to build on that once the real action starts.

So what are legitimate expectations for this youthful squad? Anything short of advancing to the knockout stage will be utter disappointment and could set American soccer back. The team is certainly not short of athletic players and much will ride on the ability to convert chances at a high percentage and not give up soft goals. The Americans will probably finish behind England in the group. That would match them up with the winner of Group C, probably Germany. However, the injury to star midfielder Michael Ballack has created questions for a German side that may not win the group so easily anymore. In the end anything can happen once you reach the knockout stage. If the U.S. wins the group they would have a much easy path and the semi-finals would not be out of the question. Ultimately, this is guesswork and we really will not know what to expect until we see the teams perform. A quarterfinal appearance would be big to boost American soccer and would largely be seen as a success. The question is whether the U.S. can meet expectations now that they are higher than ever.