United States World Cup 2014 Profile: Former Tottenham Star Leads Post-Donovan Era

Manager: Jurgen Klinsmann

World Ranking: 14

World Cup Best: Third place in 1930.

How they qualified: Earned a first-place finish in the six-team group, conceding only eight goals and losing just once, and finishing four points above runners-up Costa Rica.

Fixtures: Group H - Ghana (16 June), Portugal (22 June), Germany (26 June)

Squad

Goalkeepers:Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Nick Rimando.

Defenders:DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Timmy Chandler, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson, DeAndre Yedlin.

Midfielders:Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Brad Davis, Mix Diskerud, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi.

Forwards:Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aron Johannsson, Chris Wondolowski.

Expectations: Even though Klinsmann has said the minimum target is to reach the last 16, the Americans' chances look lower after being drawn in the 'Group of Death' with Germany, Portugal and Ghana.

Klinsmann has forged a solid side, mixing the young generation with veterans like Dempsey, and surprisingly excluding legend Landon Donovan from the final 23-man squad. However, the Germans and Portuguese look too much for them.

Star man: Aron Johannsson – Dempsey is United States' biggest star and Bradley the man who shapes the game, but AZ Alkmaar's 23-year-old winger represents better than any other teammate the hopes Klinsmann has put in the new generation.

While Jozy Altidore has struggled to made the impact expected when he was a teenager Johansson has grown into a sensation in the Dutch Eredivisie, scoring 17 goals and six assists to lead his side to an eighth-place finish.

Prediction: Group stage – Germany and Portugal are the potential teams to go through, but the United States could put pressure one of the European giants should they manage to beat Ghana in the opening game.