We've been watching the 40-plus candidates for the U.S. World Cup squad closely the last two years, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses and trying to picture how they would perform against Ronaldinho, Beckham and Totti this summer in Germany.
We've sought entry into Coach Bruce Arena's Ivy League-educated brain to learn what he's looking for in a player. We've taken into account his preference for those who can play multiple positions and the need to find perfect team chemistry, even if it means leaving out an otherwise obvious contender.
And as Arena prepares to unveil his 23-man team tonight during ESPN's "SportsCenter," we've come up with our fearless predictions:
