2010 FIFA World Cup Talent Scout: USA's Robbie Findley

In the most talked about game of the World Cup group stages thus far, the highly anticipated clash between England and the United States ended in a disappointing anti-climax.

A draw 1-1 was the outcome, courtesy of Steven Gerrard's neat finish early on after great link up play with polemic striker Emile Heskey, before Robert Green made the mistake of his life when attempting to save Clint Dempsey's tame effort.

Gerrard and Frank Lampard put in a solid performance for England in central midfield, while the aforementioned Heskey had a surprisingly great game.

For the US, not many players shined in a match where they weren't really able to cause much harm to the English (they harmed themselves).

However, one player who did catch the eye, apart from Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore, was the pacy forward Robbie Findley.

Strengths

Of course, pace is a key aspect of Findley's game. He has the speed to cause defenders trouble, and he is dangerous against older players especially.

Against England, Jamie Carragher found this out to his demise, and on one occasion could do nothing as Findley got the better of him before racing into the penalty area.

And his pace is something which comes in very useful when counter-attacking. When faced one-on-one within an inexperienced or slow defender, you'd fancy Findley to get the better of him every time.

Such ability on the break would see the Real Salt Lake player come in as a very useful addition to any Serie A team especially, with their catenaccio style of play.

He also seems to have the strength to hold up against defenders and not allow himself to get pushed over easily, which could be useful to a club in the English Premier League, one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world.

An energetic performer with a seemingly good level of fitness, Robbie Findley would do well in the Premier League or Serie A, considering the physical side to his game is his best.

Then again, this man is a forward, so finishing is something he obviously is good at, scoring 25 goals in 82 appearances for Real Salt Lake.

And lastly, he has the ability to make intelligent forward runs behind defenders and create potential goalscoring space for his teammates as well as himself.

Weaknesses

Like all American sportspeople, Findley is an exceptionally good athlete it would seem.

However, like most American soccer players, he can lack all-round technique, and doesn't have the ball control to take him to the top level just yet.

Speedy runs forward can be matched by the top-class defenders, and the 24-year old didn't find much joy when faced against John Terry, Ashley Cole, or Glen Johnson.

And with only six caps to his name, Findley's inexperience at the very highest level shows, having trouble maintaining his composure when in the final third of the pitch and in possession of the ball, often appearing to run out of ideas as to what to do with it.

Also, the forward isn't the best at bringing the ball down, and his control with his head, chest, or foot isn't usually very efficient.

Overall, Robbie Findley is a player who can bring speed and energy to a team, and can be a handful for tiring or ageing defenders to handle.

He has the potential to be a success in the Premier League or Serie A, and could probably score around 10 goals a season for a team in the English or Italian top flight.

Current value: £1million?

Potential value: £5million