US Soccer: Players Who Made Biggest Impression During Gold Cup Run

Sending less than its first team, the United States men's national team capped off a dominant Gold Cup run by beating Panama 1-0 in Sunday's championship match. 

The win led to the Americans capturing their first Gold Cup since 2007 and the fourth in team history. This inches them closer to catching Mexico for the all-time lead. 

The win also extended America's win streak to 11 games, which is the best in the country's history. And not only did this group capture the title, but did so while outscoring opponents by the combined score of 20-4. 

There were ample reasons for this post-match celebration:

It was a nice run that points to a team on the rise, and it is definitely a team that is building depth.

The following three guys all put together performances during this tournament that show they are ready for a bigger role.  

Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan has already carved out an impressive legacy with the USMNT. After all, the 31-year-old is America's all-time leader in goals and assists. 

However, he still desperately needed to make a strong impression in this tournament, and it is safe to say he did just that: 

Donovan racked up five goals and seven assists in this Gold Cup, and he looked as good as ever while doing so.

This was vintage Donovan, and it came at a time when it was fair to wonder if play like this was behind him.

While contemplating retiring from international soccer, he was left off the roster for World Cup qualifying. Now, all of a sudden, Donovan looks like he's ready to once again be the heart and soul of this team. 

Brek Shea

Brek Shea's talent has always been apparent. The 6'3" midfielder has the strength to body up others and the explosiveness to create goals.

However, he has been derailed by injuries and inconsistency. He moved to Stoke City this past season and has gathered mothballs while trying to stay healthy.

This almost found him off the roster for the Gold Cup, as it wasn't until Josh Gatt's injury that he was added to the roster.

While Shea is still working on building up his conditioning, and his time on the pitch was relegated to being a late sub, he made the most of his minutes.

He scored the go-ahead goal in the 82nd minute of the quarterfinal against Costa Rica and then found himself in the right place to drill the only goal of the championship game. 

Shea still has a lot to prove before moving into the starting lineup, but at least now he is firmly back on Jurgen Klinsmann's radar. 

Nick Rimando

With the dominance of his teammates—and let's be honest, the lack of quality opponents—Nick Rimando wasn't overly busy in goal. 

He played in four of the games in this Gold Cup run, and he made just seven saves. However, when he was called into duty, he came up big. 

Rimando made what was perhaps the key play in the U.S.' quarterfinal victory over El Salvador to preserve the U.S.' 1-0 lead: 

Rimando is typically the third keeper on the USMNT roster, and with Tim Howard entrenched in the top spot, he isn't going to move all the way to the top of pecking order. However, he certainly proved that Klinsmann can count on him if he has to.