USMNT: The 3 Players with the Most to Prove in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals

The United States side at the CONCACAF Gold Cup has mostly been a B-team. Many of these players knew that playing well could lead to them earning a place in the 23-man roster next year in Brazil.

Oguchi Onyewu has already been sent home, so I won't include him.

Also, because Jack McInerney and Will Bruin haven't played, I can't critique them. (Jurgen, please let one of them play if the U.S. have a big lead at the end of a match!)

Some of these players have done fantastically well. And others have failed to make an impact. Here are the top three who need to step up their game if they want to be heading south of the equator next summer.

Alejandro Bedoya

The Helsingborg man didn't do much to impress in his start versus Costa Rica. As a player whose bread and butter is being the creative man in midfield and breaking down back lines, he did a poor job.

He's definitely not a candidate for a spot in the World Cup Starting XI, but if he gets another opportunity and is able to create some decent attacking play, Jurgen Klinsmann could consider him as a midfielder to take to Brazil.

Michael Parkhurst

Parkhurst has logged a lot of minutes at this Gold Cup so far, and while people might disagree with me, I've been disappointed in him.

He's struggled at times against lower-level competition, committing a few mistakes while the ball was in the air to be won.

He will surely start again against Honduras and in the inevitable Mexico vs. U.S. final in Chicago. If he can have solid showings in the next two matches, a trip to Brazil as a backup defender might be in the cards.

But if he can't properly deal with CONCACAF teams, how will he fare if the U.S. is in a group with Spain?

Stuart Holden

Stu's just not ready yet. He needs more time to recover from that injury he sustained. A year back in the national team is not enough time to get back to where he once was. 

He's been decent in his performances but isn't quite that same aggressive player who was so highly touted and landed a contract with Premier League Bolton Wanderers. 

Also, the competition for midfielders is stiff, with players like Kyle Beckerman and Sacha Kljestan competing for the final midfield spots.

I think Holden has a good chance at being in the Starting XI in Russia in 2018 if he returns to his old form combined with the aging of older players. However, he needs to have a big game in these last two rounds to be considered as an option for Klinsmann in Brazil.