The United States opened its World Cup with a thrilling 2-1 win over Ghana to give themselves a chance at advancing out of the dreaded Group of Death with matchups against Portugal and Germany still looming. The U.S. roster is without national team icon Landon Donovan, having received an injection of youth from coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Here’s a deeper look at the 23 players representing the Stars and Stripes in Brazil.
Probable starters
Tim Howard
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Everton (England)
Born: March 6, 1979
Hometown: North Brunswick, N.J.
Caps/goals: 100/0
Arguably the most accomplished soccer player in U.S. history. Earned the win Saturday over Nigeria to improve to 54-28-15 all-time, breaking Kasey Keller’s wins record and making him just the third U.S. keeper to reach 100 caps. His 15 clean sheets in the EPL were just one behind co-leaders Petr Cech of Chelsea and Wojciech Szczesny of Arsenal.
DaMarcus Beasley
Position: Left back
Club: Puebla (Mexico)
Born: May 24, 1982
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Caps/goals: 116/17
Not as speedy as he once was, but savvier, winner of nine club trophies in his career. He’s on the verge of playing in his fourth World Cup. A wide midfielder for most of his career, he’s made the transition to left back. He captained the U.S. to the Gold Cup title last year and will compete for a starting spot.
Matt Besler
Position: Centerback
Club: Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Born: Feb. 11, 1987
Hometown: Overland Park, Kan.
Caps/goals: 17/0
Fast-rising defender has gone from having never played for the U.S. at the beginning of last year to a front-runner to start in Brazil. He was third in minutes for all U.S. defenders last year, and his five starts this year leads all U.S. players.
Geoff Cameron
Position: Centerback
Club: Stoke (England)
Born: July 11, 1985
Hometown: Attleboro, Mass.
Caps/goals: 27/1
A right back for EPL side Stoke — where he scored league goals against Arsenal and Aston Villa — Cameron is in a position to start at centerback for the U.S. His 13 appearances during qualifying were second on the team.
Fabian Johnson
Position: Fullback
Club: Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany)
Born: Dec. 11, 1987
Hometown: Munich
Caps/goals: 22/1
Another son of an American serviceman and a German mother, Johnson played for Germany’s youth team before switching to the U.S. in 2011. Signed with Borussia Moenchengladbach for next Bundesliga season, he can play either fullback spot and provide overlapping runs.
Alejandro Bedoya
Position: Wide midfield
Club: Nantes (France)
Born: April 29, 1987
Hometown: Weston, Fla.
Caps/goals: 28/1
The last cut four years ago, this time around the Englewood, N.J.-born midfielder made the grade. Bedoya — whose father and grandfather both played professionally in Colombia — has become a regular at Nantes.
Michael Bradley
Position: Central midfield
Club: Toronto FC (MLS)
Born: July 31, 1987
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Caps/goals: 86/12
The son of ex-U.S. coach Bob Bradley, he’s the Americans’ most irreplaceable player. Klinsmann will tailor the attack around him, and look for him to pop up in dangerous spots; but the New Jersey-born dynamo still covers vast amounts of ground defensively and ran over 22 miles in three group games in South Africa.
Jermaine Jones
Position: Central midfield
Club: Besiktas (Turkey)
Born: Nov. 3, 1981
Hometown: Chicago
Caps/goals: 42/2
Born in Frankfurt to an American father and German mother, Jones moved to Germany at the age of 7 and played in friendlies for their full national team. But after being one of Joachim Loew’s last cuts for Euro 2008, he switched to the U.S. and provides toughness in the midfield. Wife is 2006 Miss Germany Sarah Gerth.
Graham Zusi
Position: Wide midfield
Club: Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Born: Aug. 18, 1986
Hometown: Longwood, Fla.
Caps/goals: 23/3
One of just two field players to play five games this year for the U.S., Zusi’s 92nd-minute equalizer against Panama in the final qualifier put Mexico into the World Cup and earned him gifts and the nickname “Saint Zusi” from Mexico’s fans. A criminology major, he’d planned to pursue a career with the CIA.
Jozy Altidore
Position: Target striker
Club: Sunderland (England)
Born: Nov. 6, 1989
Hometown: Boca Raton, Fla.
Caps/goals: 70/23
The New Jersey-born ex-Red Bull is the only pure target man on the U.S. roster, so his hamstring injury against Ghana could prove costly. His brace against Nigeria in the final tune-up snapped a 27-game scoreless drought for club and country since Dec. 4.
Clint Dempsey
Position: Support striker
Club: Seattle Sounders (MLS)
Born: March 9, 1983
Hometown: Nacogdoches, Texas
Caps/goals: 105/37
Whether he plays behind Altidore or alongside him, the man nicknamed Deuce is dangerous, and not only tries things most players wouldn’t dare but pulls them off. He’s scored 50 EPL goals — the most by an American — and found his scoring touch in Seattle.
Probable reserves
Brad Guzan
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Aston Villa (England)
Born: Sept. 9, 1984
Hometown: Homer Glen, Ill.
Caps/goals: 25/0
Has two dozen caps, an able backup — and heir apparent — to Tim Howard. He’s 11-7-3 all-time after earning a win over Turkey last week at Red Bull Arena. At club level, he just finished his second year as a starter for EPL side Aston Villa; and at 29 is coming into his own as a keeper.
Nick Rimando
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Born: June 17, 1979
Hometown: Montclair, Calif.
Caps/goals: 14/0
Has 14 caps with the U.S., and hasn’t lost any of them. Has as many clean sheets as anybody in MLS history, and is a capable third-string for the U.S. after starting in last summer’s run to the CONCACAF Gold Cup title.
John Brooks
Position: Centerback
Club: Hertha Berlin (Germany)
Born: Jan. 28, 1994
Hometown: Berlin
Caps/goals: 4/0
The son of an American serviceman and a German mother, Brooks was raised in Berlin. He turned down an offer from Bayern Munich in 2010 to stay with Hertha Berlin, helping the club earn promotion to the Bundesliga. The 6-foot-4 Brooks is a dual citizen but chose to play for the U.S.
Timmy Chandler
Position: Fullback
Club: Nuremberg (Germany)
Born: March 29, 1990
Hometown: Frankfurt, Germany
Caps/goals: 13/0
After playing in a World Cup qualifier at Honduras in Feb. 2013, didn’t appear in another U.S. game until the May 27 tune-up win over Azerbaijan. The son of a U.S. serviceman and a German mother, he has come back from a torn meniscus Feb. 8 and will contend at right back.
Omar Gonzalez
Position: Centerback
Club: Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Born: Oct. 11, 1988
Hometown: Dallas
Caps/goals: 20/0
At 6-foot-5, the tallest player on the U.S. squad, and excellent in the air. A dual U.S.-Mexican citizen, he’s back on the national team after a two-year absence.
DeAndre Yedlin
Position: Fullback
Club: Seattle Sounders (MLS)
Born July 9, 1993
Hometown: Seattle
Caps/goals: 4/0
An MLS All-Star as a rookie last year, Yedlin was a surprise pick to make the roster. But speed changes games, and the 20-year-old — who is half Latvian, a quarter Native American and a quarter African-American — has plenty.
Kyle Beckerman
Position: Holding midfield
Club: Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Born: April 23, 1982
Hometown: Crofton, Md.
Caps/goals: 37/1
Real Salt Lake’s dreadlocked captain teamed up with Jermaine Jones to let Michael Bradley get forward in the final tune-up win over Nigeria. Will Jurgen Klinsmann revisit that 4-2-3-1 in the opener vs. a similar Ghana squad?
Brad Davis
Position: Wide midfielder
Club: Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Born: Nov. 8, 1981
Hometown: St. Charles, Mo.
Caps/goals: 16/0
A left-sided midfielder with a great peg, he’s on the squad for his dangerous free kicks, corners and crosses. He has over 100 assists in MLS, and both assists in the United States’ improbable comeback over Panama in the final World Cup qualifier.
Mix Diskerud
Position: Midfielder
Club: Rosenborg (Norway)
Born: Oct. 2, 1990
Hometown: Oslo, Norway
Caps/goals: 20/3
An attacking midfielder whose mother is from Arizona and father from Norway, Diskerud has a knack for coming off the bench and creating dangerous chances. The U.S. is 15-1-3 when he’s on the field.
Julian Green
Position: Wide midfield
Club: Bayern Munich (Germany)
Born: June 6, 1995
Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
Caps/goals: 2/0
Born in Florida, Green moved to Germany when he was 2. He played for that country’s U-19 team and came up with Bundesliga power Bayern Munich, scoring 15 goals for their reserve side. But he switched to the U.S. in March, and Green — who turned 19 Friday — surprisingly got the nod for the World Cup side.
Aron Johannsson
Position: Striker
Club: AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
Born: Nov. 10, 1990
Hometown: Mobile, Ala.
Caps/goals: 8/2
Born in Alabama to Icelandic parents and moved to Iceland when he was 3 years old. He has good movement and poise in the box, evidenced by his 26 goals this season for AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
Chris Wondolowski
Position: Striker
Club: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Born: Jan. 28, 1983
Hometown: Danville, Calif.
Caps/goals: 21/9
A two-time MLS Golden Boot winner, Wondolowski is proving he can score at this level. His name was actually misspelled on his jersey while scoring a hat trick in last year’s Gold Cup. Part Native American — his mother is a member of Kiowa Tribe — his tribal name Bau Daigh means “Warrior coming over the hill.”