SOCCERBOWL: AMERICA'S BRIGHTEST FOOTBALL TALENTS

To celebrate the success of last Sunday's Superbowl extravaganza, the biggest of all-time, let's turn our attention to America's other footballers. You know, the ones that predominantly use their feet. The U.S. have been dealt a hard group for next summer's World Cup, having to face the might of Germany, the world's best player and his Portuguese colleagues as well Ghana, one of the stronger African teams going to Brazil. In order to stand any chance of qualification, team U.S.A. will need certain stars to shine. Let's not forget, this is a team that reached the FIFA Confederations Cup final in 2009 only to be beaten 3-2 by Brazil and managing to knock currently World Cup holders Spain out on the way.

America's other footballing heroes

Jurgen Klinsmann's side have a long-recognised true star player in their midst. Landon Donovan has been American soccer's poster boy for the last decade or so. Now 31 and plying his trade with LA Galaxy, Donovan has European experience having played for Bayer Leverkusen and current European champions Bayern Munich in Germany as well as English Premier League experience after two loan spells at Everton. Donovan offers intelligence and wisdom, a versatile attacking presence that can play up front, out wide or even off a target man. At Galaxy, he links excellently with Irish international record goalscorer Robbie Keane and will offer the US national team the kind of class and guile not always associated with what is seen as a physical international side still learning the ropes in terms of technique and tactics.

The German legend leading the USA soccer team.

Another attacker worth keeping an eye on is Jozy Altidore. Long touted as America's next big thing after Freddy Adu never quite lived up to his billing, Altidore offers the U.S. sheer brute force and a kind of athleticism rarely seen in the European game. At six foot one and weighing 79 kilos of muscle, Altidore has the strength and the ability to hold up the ball that can worry any defence. Although still something of a diamond in the rough, Altidore's form can only improve after Gustavo Poyet's managerial appointment at Sunderland. Their recent form has picked up, they appear capable of avoiding relegation and Poyet can get the best out of the players afforded to him, big Jozy included. If he has any weakness, his finishing may not be up to scratch but this can be improved on vastly by getting him confident and playing often.

Striker options don't seem to be a problem with the U.S. because Clint Dempsey is there to be called upon. Now back at Fulham after being loaned out by Seattle Sounders, Dempsey offers a lot of which Landon Donovan does in that he provides attacking versatility and a wealth of expertise after having made over 200 Premier League appearances between both Fulham and Tottenham. Like Donovan, he can play as an out-and-out striker or just in behind. With over 100 caps and a strike rate better than one in three, it is vital for Dempsey to get games and Fulham and help them in their struggle to avoid relegation.

USA will be hoping their poster boy Landon Donovan can help the team do well in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

In midfield, America's stand-out player is Michael Bradley. Son of former U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, Michael is a neat playmaker who now plys his trade with Toronto FC after recently moving from Roma. Something of a surprise move as Bradley is still young at 26 and is more than capable of playing for a Europa League standard team, Toronto's lucrative contract offer tempted him back across the Atlantic. It is pivotal that he can maintain form and fitness and etch his way into America's starting XI because without him, they don't have a midfield orchestrator capable of tangling with the Germans and the Portuguese.

Crucially, the U.S. have too very fine goalkeepers to call upon in the form of Tim Howard and Brad Guzan. Following in the footsteps of high quality past American goalies like Brad Friedel, Howard and Guzan are both Premier League first choices for Everton and Aston Villa respectively. Howard is considered the better of the two from an English perspective, having played for Manchester United in the past and closing in on 300 appearances with Everton but the reality is that both are very competent keepers worthy of a starting berth.

So keep an eye on the U.S. at the World Cup. They may very well surprise you. Soccer is exploding in popularity stateside thanks to the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry raising its profile. Maybe not in 2014 but in years to come, America might be the world's next football superpower.

D. Ray Morton, 4 February 2014.