Gold Cup 2013: United States Looks Ahead to World Cup Qualifying After Title

After the United States won its fifth Gold Cup crown on Sunday against Panama, the Americans look ahead to their last string of 2014 World Cup qualifying matches in September.

After six matches in World Cup qualifying, the USA leads its respective group with 13 points (4-1-1). Costa Rica is second with 11 points, Mexico is third with eight points and Honduras is fourth with seven points.

The top three teams in the group automatically qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, while the fourth-place team enters an Intercontinental Playoff against New Zealand.

The United States outscored its six opponents in the Gold Cup by a margin of 20-4, and it will face Costa Rica to start off the last string on Sept. 6. The USA then faces Mexico on Sept. 10. If all goes according to plan for the Americans, they should punch their ticket to Brazil early.

The USA showed star power and depth in the Gold Cup. Landon Donovan notched five goals and seven assists in the tournament, but Chris Wondolowski also added five goals, and Joe Corona and Eddie Johnson added two scores apiece. Kyle Beckerman and Alejandro Bedoya each posted two assists.

While the Americans may have faced underwhelming competition in the Gold Cup, the potential for the USA is clear. The United States is riding an 11-match winning streak, the longest in the nation's history. That cannot be dismissed.

And the three straight wins over Jamaica, Panama and Honduras in June shows that the Americans haven't just won against "B" teams.

It's going to be very interesting how the team looks in September. Donovan is basically a no-brainer as an addition to the roster, but Jurgen Klinsmann has plenty of decisions to make across the pitch as far as who will start. That extends from the front line to the midfield to the back line.

When players like Eddie Johnson and Brek Shea score instantly upon being subbed in, you know Klinsmann has some decision-making to do.

That's a vast change from a few months ago. The fact that Klinsmann appears to have solid depth all of a sudden is a victory in itself for an American side that has largely disappointed in recent years.