Gold Cup 2015: USA Players Who Need to Step Up in the Quarterfinal

After going 2-0-1 in the group stage of the 2015 Gold Cup, the United States must shift its focus to Saturday's quarterfinals—against an opponent that's yet to be determined—and raise its level of play.

The U.S. overcame slow starts against Honduras and Haiti in the first two games of the tournament, and they ultimately pulled off 2-1 and 1-0 wins, respectively.

On Monday, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann's team again failed to dictate the tempo of the match from the early goings, and they wound up tying with Panama.

Though the result in that match carried little significance since the U.S. already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, it underscored the fact that they need contributions from someone other than Clint Dempsey.

Dempsey scored all three of the team's goals in the first two wins, and he executed a crucial pass on the play in which Michael Bradley later scored the tying goal against Panama.

He's been playing with his head, resulting in game-changing moments for the U.S.:

The forward has been in the middle of any positive developments for the U.S., but going into the next round, his teammates will need to do more than they did in the first three games.

Now that Jozy Altidore—who did not play on Monday—will be off the squad for the remainder of the tournament due to a hamstring injury, per ESPNfc.com, it becomes all the more paramount for others to elevate the team:

"

Always a pleasure to be a part of @ussoccer all the best to the boys the rest of the way! #KeepTheCup #USMNT

— Jozy Altidore (@JozyAltidore) July 14, 2015"

One guy who may play a big role as the tournament progresses is midfielder Alejandro Bedoya.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Bedoya missed the first two games of the group stage because of a knee injury that kept him out for over two months entering Monday, but he made his return for the match against Panama. 

It didn't take him long to make an impact, as Bedoya assisted on Bradley's equalizer:

He still may not be 100 percent healthy, but there's no question Bedoya provides a boost to the offensive attack of the U.S.

Klinsmann was satisfied with Bedoya's performance, per USASoccer.com:

"

After 60-65 minutes he was pretty much done and that's okay. You see his quality, his capability to keep the ball, to shield it and make runs and surprise the opponent. Overall his game was very positive for the fact that he hasn't played in quite some time. We keep him building, give him a bit of a rest tomorrow and keep building him going forward. 

"

If Bedoya can continue to improve upon the game he had on Monday, and he gets more and more comfortable, the U.S. will see a better overall product on the field in the quarterfinals and beyond.

On the defensive end, the likes of Ventura Alvarado and Timothy Chandler need to improve, especially after John Brooks picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Panama. Brooks is now suspended for the quarterfinal.

Brooks and Alvarado—both 22 years old—have shown a lot of promise, but their inconsistency is maddening. 

Both were partly responsible for Panama's goal that put the U.S. in a 1-0 hole. The defenders appeared slow and tentative, winding up in a bad position to make a play:

If the U.S. wins the next game, it looks as though Klinsmann will be committed to inserting Brooks back into the starting lineup, according to Jeff Carlisle of ESPNfc.com. 

It's a risk, considering the way the youngsters have played on the back-end so far in the tournament. But Klinsmann clearly has faith in them.

Brooks won't be on the field in the quarterfinal, though, so Alvarado will have even less margin for error on Saturday.