Nickname: Stars and Stripes
Manager: Bob Bradley
Previous World Cup appearances: Eight
Best finish: Third place, 1930
Key players:
Carlos Bocanegra (captain)
Landon Donovan
Eddie Johnson
Once regarded as a laughing stock, the United States have quietly established themselves as a footballing force in the last 20 years.
South Africa 2010 will be the States' sixth consecutive appearance in the World Cup finals, a record that can be matched by only five other nations.
In fact, the US will have to cope with raised expectations in South Africa after they finished as runners up in the Confederations Cup last summer, ending Spain's world record run of 15 straight wins and 35 matches without defeat along the way.
Bob Bradley's team boasts few household names, but it contains a sprinking of players with experience of European leagues, including half a dozen or so from the Premier League.
Everton's Tim Howard is the team's first-choice goalkeeper, with Brad Guzan, Brad Friedel's understudy at Aston Villa, the main back-up.
The defence, marshaled by skipper Carlos Bocanegra, formerly of Fulham, usually features Oguchi Onyewu of AC Milan, West Ham's Jonanthan Spector and Chivas USA left-back Jonathan Bornstein.
It is in the centre of the park that Bradley has most options. The coach's son Michael Bradley has established himelf as an automatic choice in the centre of midfield, and is usually partnered by either Ricardo Clark or Benny Feilhaber.
Bradley then has a glut of wingers and attacking midfielders to choose from, including Fulham's Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan, the USA's record goalscorer. Rangers winger DaMarcus Beasley has been overtaken in the pecking order by younger talent such as Sacha Kjestan, Robbie Rogers and Scottish-born Stuart Holden.
And then there is Freddy Adu, the much-hyped wonderkid of American soccer, who is currently struggling to get a game for Portuguese side Belenenses. Adu played just three games for the US in 2009, but Bradley could find himself coming under pressure to include the 20-year-old in his squad as a wildcard.
In attack, the US have suffered a big blow with the likely absence of striker Charlie Davies, who suffered severe injuries in a road accident in October 2009.
Hull striker Jozy Altidore will be expected to fill the gap left by Davies, while Bradley could be tempted to move Donovan up front. Conor Casey, Brian Ching and Fulham's Eddie Johnson are also available.
With a kind draw, there is no reason why the United States cannot repeat their quarter-final appearance at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Matching their best-ever World Cup finish of third place at the inaugural World Cup back in 1930 will be a tougher ask altogether.
