Bradley's men capable of causing stir

After topping Group C the USA have put themselves in the favourable half of the World Cup draw and have given themselves a chance of reaching the World cup quarter finals.

Bob Bradley's men will be looking for a repeat of their performances last summer when they reached the Confederations Cup final in South Africa.

Bob Bradley's men, 14th in the FIFA rankings, defeated Spain 2-0 en route to the final against Brazil. The USA were leading Brazil 2-0 in the final, but eventually lost 3-2, however the USA came of age last year and at the World Cup they have shown their credentials.

The 1-1 draw with England showed their spirit and determination and they eclipsed that coming back from 2-0 down to hold Slovenia 2-2. And in their final group game they left it late to finally earn a 1-0 triumph, but they created a hatful of chances.

With a well-drilled rearguard and Michael Bradley driving them forward from midfield they are hard to break down and with pacey forward players such as Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey in attack they are capable of scoring goals against the best, just ask Spain.

If the USA can impose themselves on last-16 opponents Ghana and maintain their defensive shape and discipline then they could find themselves in the quarter-final against Uruguay or South Korea. Holland or Brazil are likely to lie in wait in the World cup semi finals for the USA, who are 33/1 shots to win the trophy at Soccer City on July 11.

Spain, Argentina, England and Germany are all in the other half of the draw and the other finalist is likely to come from that quartet, but USA won't worry about those teams just yet until they can edge through their half of the draw. But Bradley's men have the right mentality and they could just be the surprise package of the World Cup.