v Ghana - 22 June, 1500 BST, Nuremberg
How did they get to Germany: They defeated Panama 2-0 to finish top of the Concacaf region, but in truth had secured qualification with games to spare. The standard of their qualifying opposition is not the toughest around.
Qualifying star: Landon Donovan. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen player - currently at Los Angeles Galaxy - is now used more as a midfield playmaker but still scored six goals during qualifying and laid on a further six more for his team-mates.
Manager: Bruce Arena. Great name and proving himself to be a pretty handy coach as well. He took over after the team's woeful performance at France 1998 and has since guided his country into the world's top 10.
Captain: The Americans got through seven captains during their qualifying campaign but Manchester City's Claudio Reyna is first-choice skipper.
World Cup pedigree: Although regarded as a minor footballing nation, the USA will be attending a fifth straight World Cup finals.
World Cup high: Oops. Beating heavily fancied England 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. They also reached the quarter-finals in 2002.
World Cup low: Losing the clash of cultures. The 2-1 defeat to Iran at the 1998 tournament did not go down well at home.
World Cup legend: Goalkeeper Brad Friedel was awesome as the USA reached the quarter-finals in 2002.
Present star man: More future star really. The big hope for US soccer is 16-year-old Freddy Adu. Raised in Ghana, Adu has pledged his future to the US and while there outside hopes he would make the squad he will have to bide his time until 2010.
Strengths: The US are a vastly experienced team and have three good goalkeepers in Kasey Keller, Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann.
Weaknesses: A useful team but one that does not play against genuine world-class opposition often enough. Were able to field a reserve team for their last two qualifiers and still top their group.
Did you know? Bruce Arena's only full cap as an international footballer came as a substitute in the USA's 2-0 defeat to Israel in November 1973.
World ranking: 5=
Odds: 80/1
Local view: "The US have a good team and in one-off games they have a good chance but they have a particularly terrible record against eastern European sides." Chris Bergin, USSoccerUK editor.
Our verdict: Unlikely to make much of an impression.
Ranking and odds correct at 22 May. Odds supplied by William Hill.
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World Cup Spotlight: USA
