Factbox: USA

Colours: White shirts, dark blue shorts, white socks.

Nickname: The Yanks

Previous World Cup appearances (8) (1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)

Best World Cup performance: Third place, 1930

Coach: Bob Bradley

Most capped player: Cobi Jones 164

Top goalscorer: Landon Donovan 42

Squad:

1-Tim Howard (Everton). Goalkeeper. Born March 6 1979. Caps 50. Goals 0.
Latest in a long line of fine American goalkeepers, Howard is approaching 200 games in the Premier League in England having moved from Major League Soccer (MLS) to Manchester United in 2003. First-choice keeper for coach Bob Bradley.

18-Brad Guzan (Aston Villa). Goalkeeper. Sept. 9 1984. Caps 16. Goals 0.
Has struggled to break into the first team at Aston Villa following his move in 2008 from Chivas USA. Considered the heir apparent to Howard, the tall Guzan is vocal and a good organiser of his defence.

23-Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers). Goalkeeper. Born June 15 1972. Caps 15. Goals 0
Third-choice keeper heading into his second World Cup after a career spent on the fringes of the national team. The shaven-headed keeper is a good shot stopper whose weakness is in coming off his line at the right time.

6-Steve Cherundolo (Hanover). Defender. Born Feb. 19 1979. Caps 59. Goals 2.
Solid right-back who has suffered his share of injuries. A reliable and experienced campaigner who was part of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams, he has never played professionally in his homeland after joining Hanover from college in 1999.

5-Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan). Defender. Born May 13 1982. Caps 53. Goals 5.
Until he damaged a knee ligament in the final qualifier against Costa Rica, the powerfully built Onyewu was the heart of the U.S defence at centre-half. He had progressed in Belgium with Standard Liege and moved in the close season of 2009 to AC Milan. Strong in the air and in tackling, he will be sorely missed if he fails to regain match fitness in time for the finals.

15-Jay DeMerit (Watford). Defender. Born Dec. 4 1979. Caps 18. Goals 0.
A rugged central defender who, having been ignored by MLS clubs, worked his way up the ladder in England from non-league Southall to Watford where he established himself and earned a place in Bradley's team. Struck up a good partnership with Onyewu.

3-Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes). Defender. Born May 25 1979. Caps 78. Goals 12.
Bradley's captain can operate anywhere in the back line or in a defensive midfield role but is most effective at centre-half. Dependable and hard-working, the Californian spent four years with Fulham after making his name with the Chicago Fire.

2-Jonathan Spector (West Ham United). Defender. Born March 1 1986. Caps 25. Goals 0.
A natural right-back, although he has been used across the defence, he spent three years on Manchester United's books but failed to break through. After a loan spell with Charlton, he moved to West Ham in 2006 and, while injuries hampered his progress, he has found regular Premier League football this year. A regular at right-back throughout qualification.

21-Clarence Goodson (IK Start). Defender. Born May 7 1982. Caps 13. Goals 2.
A late developer, Goodson switched from centre forward to defence and then established himself at FC Dallas in MLS before moving to Norway to join IF Start in 2008. Powerful in the air but not the quickest, he featured in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup team and is one of Bradley's options at centre-half.

12-Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA). Defender. Born Nov. 7 1984. Caps 31. Goals 2.
Won praise for his man-marking on Argentina's Lionel Messi in the Copa America three years ago but has been error-prone in recent appearances. Hard to see him getting a spot in the back four but Bradley may want his man-marking skills in his squad.

11-Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers). Midfielder. Born Aug. 1 1985. Caps 14. Goals 2.
Operates best on the right flank. Scottish-born player who grew up in Texas. Flourished in MLS and broke into Bradley's team, before shining in last year's Gold Cup. Moved to Bolton during the winter transfer window but injury has restricted his chances. Has flair and enthusiasm in abundance and possesses a wicked shot.

4-Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach). Midfielder. Born July 31 1987. Caps 42. Goals 7.
Son of coach Bob and one of the few U.S players to have established himself in the Bundesliga, Bradley is the engine of the midfield, tackling hard and making his contributions going forward. Has an aggressive streak that is rare in American players.

13-Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt). Midfielder. Born Feb. 10 1983. Caps 28. Goals 2.
Hard-tackling, defensive central midfielder who usually partners Bradley in the middle. After six years in MLS, he moved to Frankfurt during the 2010 winter transfer window.

19-Maurice Edu (Rangers). Midfielder. Born May 18 1986. Caps 13. Goals 1.
Had a good season with Rangers and has forced his way back into Bradley's reckoning. He could also be a centre-half option. Back-up to younger Bradley and Clark as defensive central midfielder.

22-Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus). Midfielder. Born Jan. 19 1985. Caps 32. Goals 2.
Creative midfielder who was born in Brazil and moved to the U.S. when he was six. After playing in college football, he opted to head to Europe but found little opportunity with Hamburg or Derby County and now plays in Denmark. Often used from the bench, he is talented but something of an under-achiever.

16-Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca). Midfielder. Born Oct. 29 1987. Caps 10. Goals 0.
With a Mexican father and an American mother, Torres holds dual citizenship and has played his entire career in the Mexican league with Pachuca, who spotted him playing high school soccer. He offers attacking options on the left or down the middle.

7-DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers). Midfielder. Born May 24 1982. Caps 91. Goals 17.
Can operate as left-back or down the left side of midfield. Although he has not featured regularly for Rangers this year, he is liked by Bradley and did well in last two World Cups. Good experience with PSV Eindhoven, Manchester City and then Rangers.

10-Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy). Forward. Born March 4 1982. Caps 122. Goals 42.
Without doubt the key player for the U.S. and the side's record scorer. He is a top performer in MLS. Donovan enjoyed a positive loan spell with Everton which will have boosted his confidence. Bradley likes to play him wide on the left but he can operate as a striker or down the right.

8-Clint Dempsey (Fulham). Forward. Born March 9 1983. Caps 61. Goals 18.
A tough character who can play in midfield or up front, he has enjoyed a good season in England. He scored in consecutive matches against Egypt, Spain and Brazil during the U.S.'s run to the Confederations Cup final. A guaranteed starter.

17-Jozy Altidore (Villarreal). Forward. Born Nov. 6 1989. Caps 25. Goals 9.
Rated one of his country's best prospects after impressing in MLS with New York, the son of Haitian immigrants has established himself as Bradley's target man of choice. Has a good scoring record including a qualification hat-trick against Trinidad & Tobago, but has struggled to find a regular starting place in Spain or during his loan period with Hull City.

14-Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy). Forward. Born May 21 1981. Caps 2. Goals 0.
Buddle's first cap came in a friendly against Venezuela in 2003 and he began the season not even on the fringes of the national team. Injuries to others and a purple patch of scoring form in MLS led to his call-up to the pre-World Cup camp.

9-Hercules Gomez (Puebla). Forward. Born April 6 1982. Caps 3. Goals 1.
Like Buddle, has benefited from Bradley's desperate need for strikers plus a timely run of form. Enjoying very good season in Mexico. Makes up for what he lacks in pace with awareness and endeavour. His first two caps came during the 2007 Gold Cup.

20-Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake). Forward. Born Aug. 4 1985. Caps 5. Goals 0.
Rewarded for his role in his club's MLS title success with a chance to stake a claim for a World Cup spot. His pace and eye for goal mean he can be a threat when in form but he has little international experience.