USA vs. Honduras: Americans Who Will Bolster World Cup Credentials in Victory

Aside from Mexico, no team has been more dominant over the course of Gold Cup history than the United States. Team USA has taken things to an entirely different level this year, though, and there is no question that the Americans are the team to beat. While winning the Gold Cup may be priority No. 1 for the United States, finding some World Cup contributors is important as well.

After throttling El Salvador in the quarterfinals, Team USA will take on Honduras in the semis on Wednesday. After about a year away from the national team, Landon Donovan has established himself as a lock for the 2014 World Cup squad. Nobody else on the Gold Cup roster has done that yet, but there are plenty of players who have been impressing head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Here are three American players who will perform well against Honduras and further solidify their World Cup chances by helping Team USA advance to the Gold Cup final against either Mexico or Panama.

Chris Wondolowski

After failing to score in his first nine appearances with the senior national team, 30-year-old striker Chris Wondolowski has broken out in a big way at the Gold Cup. Wondo is tied for the tournament lead in goals with Panama's Manuel Gabriel Torres at five.

Wondolowski has been a prolific scorer for the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS as he netted 27 goals last season; however, it took him until now to truly gel and find his footing for Team USA.

Now that Klinsmann has given him a fair shake, he is thriving. Wondolowski has linked particularly well with the likes of Donovan and Joe Corona in the midfield as they have been able to find each other in ideal scoring positions. Wondolowski's hot streak actually started just prior to the Gold Cup when he scored against Guatemala in a friendly. ESPN's Team USA announcer, Ian Darke, seems to believe that this recent outburst bodes well for Wondo's World Cup aspirations.

The only issue for Wondolowski is that he faces some fairly stiff competition up top. Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore are all virtual locks as primary goalscorers in Brazil, so he'll need to prove that he deserves a bench role. Wondolowski has proved he is capable of scoring off the bench in the Gold Cup; look for him to deposit at least one more goal in the back of the net against Honduras.

DaMarcus Beasley

The United States' 2013 Gold Cup roster is comprised largely of players with little national-team experience, but that certainly isn't the case when it comes to left-back DaMarcus Beasley. Klinsmann named the versatile 31-year-old the captain of the Gold Cup team due to his experience and leadership skills. According to Paul Carr of ESPN, Beasley tied Eric Wynalda for the eighth-most appearances in men's national-team history during the Gold Cup, and he has since surpassed him.

The amazing thing about Beasley is that he seemed to fall off the national-team radar after 2010. Then United States coach Bob Bradley named Beasley to the 2010 World Cup squad, but he made just one substitute appearance in the tournament and was used infrequently thereafter.

Klinsmann has turned to Beasley in recent months, though, and it now seems like Beasley has a legitimate chance to make his fourth World Cup appearance next year.

Beasley played much of his career as a winger or even a striker, but he has found a new niche with Team USA. With offensively minded defender Steve Cherundolo seemingly out of the picture, Beasley has emerged as a player capable of pushing the pace from the back line. He has held his own defensively, too, so Beasley is even an option to start for the Americans next year in Brazil. Unless Beasley makes monumental mistakes that lead to a loss against Honduras, he is in very good shape from a World Cup perspective right now.

Eddie Johnson

While Wondolowski has been talked about most during the Gold Cup due to his sudden goalscoring binge, the instant-impact of Eddie Johnson is fresh on the minds of many fans.

Johnson wasn't on the initial Gold Cup roster during group play, but Klinsmann made a few changes, which resulted in Johnson being added. Klinsmann seems to have a pretty good feel for Johnson as he put him in against El Salvador in the quarterfinals, and Johnson scored just 15 seconds later on a header off a Donovan corner, as seen in this video courtesy of USA Soccer:

Johnson is the ultimate offensive lightning rod as he is capable of energizing the squad when he steps onto the pitch as a substitute. Johnson can start as well, but he is at his most effective when he is fresh and everyone around him is laboring. That was the case against El Salvador as he simply exploded right out of the gates. That type of dynamism could go a long way toward earning a spot on the 2014 World Cup roster as a key reserve.

It can be argued that Johnson is in direct competition with Wondolowski, but there may be room for both of them as they are very different strikers. Johnson is all about speed and explosiveness, while Wondolowski is the type of scorer who puts himself in the right place at the right time. Their contrasting styles would work quite well behind Altidore as either could spell him late in matches.

If Johnson impresses off the bench once again when Team USA plays Honduras on Wednesday, it will be tough for Klinsmann to ignore his importance.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter