USA vs. Brazil: Unheralded Americans Who Must Step Up Against Verde-Amarela

After defeating Scotland 5-1 in a friendly on Saturday, the United States has reached its high-water mark under head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The Americans will face the toughest test of the Klinsmann era to date, however, when they take on five-time world champion Brazil on Wednesday.

The United States Men's National Team has only managed to beat Brazil once ever, but with as much confidence as they have built up, a win on Wednesday is a possibility. If the Americans are going to pull off what most would consider to be a major upset, though, it's going to take a total team effort.

Stars like Landon Donovan and Tim Howard must shine, but several supporting players will need to be on top of their respective games as well. Here are three unsung American players who must step up if the United States is going to take down Brazil.

Jermaine Jones

Slowly but surely Jermaine Jones is developing into a key player for the Americans. He still isn't well known, even by American soccer fans, but he can really cement his place on the squad with a good performance against Brazil. Jones was probably Team USA's second-best player aside from Donovan vs. Scotland as he netted a goal and added two assists in the rout.

Jones is clearly gaining more and more confidence in Klinsmann's offensive attack, and that bodes very well for the United States moving forward. It seems as though striker Jozy Altidore is unlikely to play after being released late by his club team, and Clint Dempsey is nursing a sore groin so he may be nothing more than a sub. With that in mind, the Americans need somebody besides Donovan to pick up the offensive slack, and Jones should be that guy.

Geoff Cameron

Aside from Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo, the United States' back line is a bit unsettled as World Cup qualifying approaches. One player who is attempting to nail down a full-time spot in the starting lineup, though, is Geoff Cameron. The 26-year-old defender doesn't have a ton of international experience, but Klinsmann has been utilizing him quite a bit.

Cameron played the full match vs. Scotland, and while he had a hiccup in the 15th minute by allowing an own goal, he was largely solid. Cameron is prone to such mistakes at times, but he has a ton of potential. That potential will have to quickly morph into steady play against Brazil, because even a single gaffe can lead to Team USA's demise. Cameron will have to essentially be perfect on Wednesday.

Herculez Gomez

He only played 26 minutes after coming in as a substitute vs. Scotland, but forward Herculez Gomez could be an extremely important player against Brazil. The Americans will be very thin up front aside from Donovan if neither Altidore nor Dempsey are able to play. Terrence Boyd got the start opposite Donovan on Saturday, but Gomez has more international experience and should get into the game one way or another.

Gomez will be particularly useful if the Americans are tied or trailing by a goal in the second half. He brings some great pace to the table and is the type of player who might be able to sneak behind the stingy Brazilian defense.

Gomez isn't a player who would be talked about much if the Americans were fully healthy, but with so many questions regarding the forward position, Gomez will play a role in this contest.

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