Could the 2014 USA Team Be Better Than the 2010 Team?

It may seem that the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is a long way off—and it is—but the U.S. Men's National Team will have to play in two CONCACAF Gold Cups, possibly the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, and go through World Cup qualifying, so the preparation for 2014 is not that far from starting.

The first key is to have more players based in top European leagues, and that should happen with most of the starters who are not there already. Landon Donovan is the biggest name not in Europe, but he will get there.

With all of the starters playing top-class soccer in Europe, the talent level will improve. Just take the cases of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, and Tim Howard. If those three stayed in MLS for their entire careers, they would not be half as good as they are now.

So here is a look at what the depth chart could look like with the group that was on the World Cup roster and those who have played at the senior level with the national team. I do take into case that young players at U-20 and U-17 levels could impress before 2014, but the speculation is based on only senior team members at this time.

Goalie:

Tim Howard, Brad Guzan

Goalies get better with time, and Howard will be hitting the prime of his career in the Premier League in the next four years.

Guzan has a way to go but once Brad Friedel eventually retires, if he ever does, he should be Aston Villa's top choice at goalie and will gain plenty of experience.

Defense:

Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Bornstein, Jonathan Spector, Omar Gonzalez, Marvell Wynne, Michael Orozco, Heath Pearce

In all honesty, DeMerit, Cherundolo and Bocanegra might not contend for the 2014 roster.

If Onyewu stays healthy and gets playing time at AC Milan he could be a force at center half. Bornstein showed a few flashes of his potential in South Africa but will have to move to Europe to hone his skills, as will Gonzalez, Wynne, Orozco, and Pearce.

Gonzalez and Wynne have the most potential and are already developing into stars in MLS, but the next step is becoming a star in Europe.

Midfield:

Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Sacha Kljestan, Maurice Edu, Freddy Adu, Jose Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, Benny Feilhaber

This is where the Americans have the most depth.

Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Feilhaber and Edu will be even better players with even more experience in Europe under their belt.

Kljestan, Clark and Holden are new arrivals to the European scene and have four years to play against top talent.

Torres showed flashes of what he could do off set pieces, and Bedoya is a solid player.

And then there is Freddy Adu, once the future of US Soccer. Adu was not even on the 30-man preliminary roster for South Africa. The good news is, believe it or not, he is still only 21.

I have two different suggestions for Mr. Adu to get playing time and more experience. The first choice would be to leave Benfica and join a lower level European squad in Scandanavia or Belguim like many other U.S. players have done.

The second choice would be to take the Landon Donovan road to success, come back to MLS and boost his confidence with a good season or two and then try to go to Europe again.

Forwards:

Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, Herculez Gomez, Eddie Johnson, Robbie Findley, Kenny Cooper, Justin Braun

Imagine Altidore and Davies playing alongside each other for the next four years and becoming an attack feared by many like Forlan and Suarez are for Uruguay. Yes, the comparison to the Uruguayans is a bit extreme but just think about how good they can be.

Johnson is in the same state as Adu, skill wise not age. He needs to leave Fulham and find a club where he can get playing time, which makes MLS a decent option.

Gomez could be a stretch to make the roster in 2014, but if stays in form in the Mexican League he could have a shot.

Findley, Cooper, and Braun are all interesting cases.

Findley is currently 24 and with Real Salt Lake in MLS. If he wants to break through to the squad in Brazil he needs to step it up because Altidore and Davies are the strike partnership of the future.

Cooper moved to Europe last season and plays for 1860 Munich. His chance to make a World Cup roster may have come and gone already but you never know; look what Edson Buddle did.

Braun is getting better playing for Chivas USA and in a few years could be in Europe scoring for a club that puts him in better contention to back up Jozy and Charlie.

Coach:

That is a question mark. Bob Bradley is most likely on his way out with his poor lineup choices that ultimately led to the goal that put the USA behind in the Ghana game. It would not totally shock me if Bradley is around in 2014, but it is unlikely. To answer the question of who leads this team into Brazil, your guess is as good as mine.