It took 14 games – with two left still to play – for the U.S. Men’s National Team to clinch a spot for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
There were some peaks and valleys, but head coach Jurgen Klinsmann deserves credit for steadying the ship this year and securing passage to the world’s premier sporting event.
Through the past year and a half, Klinsmann used a total of 38 players in World Cup qualifying, a pretty decent number reflecting the depth of the program. Players come from all different backgrounds to earn a spot on the team, and it's worth a deeper look.
Here’s a look, by the numbers, at the backgrounds of those players who pitched in throughout the qualifying effort.
