USMNT: 8 Players from the U23s Who Could Make the U.S. World Cup Squad

It's nice to make the U23 squad. But every player in the group that head coach Caleb Porter is preparing for Olympic qualifying have their eyes on bigger things.

The goal is to catch Jurgen Klinsmann's eye and get a ticket to Brazil in 2014. We may be getting ahead of ourselves. After all, the senior U.S. team still has to make it through CONCACAF qualifying. But let's speculate anyway.

A few of the U23s have broken through with the full national team, others have had a game here and there, while a couple promising players have yet to pull on the USA shirt for the senior side.

Here are eight players from the United States U23s who could end up in Klinsmann's squad for the World Cup.

Brek Shea

If Shea is healthy and Klinsmann is still the coach, then the FC Dallas man will be in the United States' World Cup squad.

Every coach has their favorites and Klinsmann is enamored with the speedy 6'3" winger with the bag of fancy one-on-one tricks.

Shea's appearances for the senior team have been inconsistent. He doesn't yet seem ready to regularly assert himself as one of the main players on the field for the United States. But Klinsmann hasn't left him off a roster in his tenure with the Nats.

With plenty of time to mature and grow into a leading role, Shea will be a dangerous player come World Cup 2014.

Bill Hamid

Despite his protestations to the contrary, DC United's Bill Hamid is Tim Howard's backup in the American goal.

The young keeper is right to publicly deny his position. He can afford to take nothing for granted as he tries to fight off his country's long list of quality netminders. But Hamid shows no signs of slowing down his ascent into Klinsmann's plans.

The U.S. coach has been crystal clear in his philosophy that you must be playing regularly for your club to play a leading role in the national team program. That has hurt Hamid's main competitor (Aston Villa's Brad Guzan) for the second spot on the depth chart.

If Hamid can lead the U23s to a strong showing at this summer's Olympics, he will only further solidify his place on the plane to Brazil.

Juan Agudelo

Juan Agudelo benefits from the dearth of international class strikers at Jurgen Klinsmann's disposal.

Despite a notable lack of playing time at New York Red Bulls, the mohawked forward has shown enough to become a regular feature in the senior team. It is worth noting that while Agudelo has only made 34 appearances since joining New York two years ago, he has already earned 15 caps for the full U.S. national team.

If you consider Clint Dempsey an attacking midfielder for the U.S., then Jozy Altidore and Agudelo are the best strikers the country has to offer at the moment.

There is the possibility that players like Teal Bunbury or Terrence Boyd could change the equation between now and summer 2014. But for now, Agudelo's place in Brazil seems assured.

Ike Opara

Ike Opara might be a long-shot since he has yet to earn a single cap with the U.S. senior team. But the San Jose Earthquakes man has the tools to squeak his way into the World Cup squad.

Injuries have marred Opara's first two years as a professional. Through two seasons, the defender has only played 19 games. But with the senior team regularly looking marshmallow soft in central defense, Opara has led a solid defensive unit for Caleb Porter's U23s.

Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra may be the presumptive national team starters, but the rest of the depth chart at central defense is vulnerable. A strong Olympics with the U23s and an injury-free campaign in MLS could see Opara get his name into the mix.

Teal Bunbury

Juan Agudelo is the fashionable name to drop when talking about young American forwards. But Sporting Kansas City's Teal Bunbury has one serious advantage over his compatriot. Bunbury gets on the field week-in and week-out.

Without Thierry Henry (and now Kenny Cooper) to fight through for a place, Bunbury has flourished in MLS. With nine goals in 2011, Bunbury has set himself a goal of 17 this term. If he can find the form to reach that figure, he will become a much more prominent name in Jurgen Klinsmann's considerations.

Freddy Adu

It's easy for American soccer fans to dismiss Freddy Adu. After all, they were promised their very own Pele when Adu went pro at the tender age of 14. And what they got was a talented, but incomplete, teenager.

When Adu headed to Europe to play for Benfica, hopes were raised again. A young American making strides in Europe? Fantastic! But then he never got on the field. A series of loans and desperate moves later and Adu limped back to MLS and Philadelphia.

It seems like Adu should be nearing retirement. That's how long Americans have been hearing about him. But he's still only 22. And as much as you hate hearing the word associated with Adu, there's so much potential.

Assuming the U23s get to the Olympics, Adu will have a stage where he can finally deliver something for the fans who have waited (not always patiently) for him to become the man. If he can shine on the big stage this summer in London, he could book himself a place on the even bigger stage waiting in Brazil.

Terrence Boyd

Borussia Dortmund is currently sitting five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table. Unfortunately for his prospects with the senior U.S. national team, Terrence Boyd is stuck sitting on the bench.

A striker playing for Germany's best team is enough to make American soccer fans drool. But so far, all of Boyd's goals at club level have come in training and in matches with Dortmund's second team who play in Germany's fourth division.

He will have to find a way to get on the field, whether at Dortmund or somewhere else. But if he manages it, Boyd could become the most fascinating striking option on the American scene since Charlie Davies' shooting star disappeared over the injury horizon.

Mix Diskerud

Where most of the rest of the players in this list benefit from weakness in the current squad at their chosen position, Mix Diskerud is trying to break through at the United States' deepest outfield position.

In his early performances with the U.S. national teams, Diskerud has proven to be strong and technical in the center of the park. Add an eye for play-making and you have a player with all the attributes to play in Jurgen Klinsmann's team.

If he were a comparably equipped forward or defender, Diskerud would have long ago established himself in the senior team. As it stands, he will have to fight his way through the crowd to even land a spot on the bench. But the youngster has the tools to make it happen.