USMNT Players to Watch in Europa League's Round of 16

It may not be the Champions League, but the Europa League trophy is the second-most coveted piece of silverware to many European clubs—bringing with it a sizable amount of prestige as well as €3 million to the winner alone, according to UEFA.com.

The knockout round—or the round of 16—begins on Thursday afternoon. While there are a number of premier teams still in the tournament (Manchester United, Manchester City and Hannover 96 to name a few) there are also a number of Americans who will try and help their clubs get into the Europa League quarterfinals.

There may not be many, but there's still some Americans left with the opportunity to carry their team past some of the most prestigious clubs in Europe.

Jozy Altidore, AZ Alkmaar

Absolutely pivotal to AZ Alkmaar's success in the Europa League, Altidore has appeared in 10 of the Dutch club's matches, scoring four goals in the tournament. 

His ability to consistently contribute in matches no matter if they're league games, domestic cup or European tournament makes him an incredibly valuable player to AZ Alkmaar.

Altidore will face off against an Udinese side that hasn't impressed in Europa play so far. They managed to come in second place in an easy group that included Atletico Madrid, Celtic and Rennes and were matched with an equally easy PAOK.

Look for Altidore and AZ Alkmaar to have success in the knockout round.

Oguchi Onyewu, Sporting Lisbon

Oguchi Onyewu is one of the most well-traveled members of the U.S. men's national team, playing for a range of teams that has included Newcastle United in England, FC Metz in France, Standard Liège in Belgium and now Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

Injuries have hampered the center-back throughout his career, but he seems to finally be catching his stride at 29 years old as he was able to start five matches in Sporting Lisbon's Europa campaign.

Sporting Lisbon will need all the help they can get as their knockout-round opponent is Manchester City—the best club in England and a team that could have challenged for the Champions League title if they hadn't been drawn in the same group as Bayern Munich and Napoli.

Steve Cherundolo, Hannover 96

The captain of his team and the American playing for the club with the most international notoriety, Steve Cherundolo keeps on trucking at right back for Hannover 96 of the Bundesliga.

Cherundolo has been pivotal for Hannover 96's campaign in the Europa League, starting a team-high seven matches.

Hannover 96 will be matched up against Belgium side Standard Liège for the right to play in the tournament's quarterfinals.

Who Will Advance?

In all honesty, only Jozy Altidore and Steve Cherundolo will make it through to the quarterfinals of the Europa League.

Altidore will be facing a PAOK club that stumbled through group play against a Shamrock Rovers side from the League of Ireland, a Tottenham side that was hobbled by injuries to key starters and a Rubin Kazan side that placed third in the Russian Premier League.

Cherundolo will be up against Standard Liège, a side they faced twice in group play—the first result in Germany was a draw and the second result in Belgium a loss. The loss wasn't the result of poor play by Hannover 96, but rather a meaningless match that the German side saw as an opportunity to rest key players.

Onyewu will unluckily be up against Manchester City. While it will be fun to see how the hulking center-back does against the best England has to offer, there's little chance Sporting Lisbon will be able to win.