The United States arrive in Brazil as the tournament’s Jekyll and Hyde.

Under manager Jurgen Klinsmann, you never know what side will show up.

You may get the free-flowing, stylish and beautiful gameplay the States are capable of producing or the confusing, lost and unorganised play which seems to just as easily creep into their game.

Despite finishing top of their  qualyifying group, the German often changed the line-up on a game-by-game basis in order to work out what system and players worked best.

Klinsmann, however, has decided to leave Landon Donovan at home which has caused uproar among fans.

Arguably their greatest player, Donovan was left out not because of his form but due to the manager wanting to move on from the 32-year-old. 

This caused Klinsmann’s son Jonathan, who currently plays for the under-18 US team, to laugh at the decision on Twitter and his father was forced to issue a public apology.

The former Germany manager did offer a way back for the former Everton forward by saying that if Donovan would be the first person he calls any striker picked up an injury.

But despite any side being able to replace a player up to 24 hours prior to the country’s first game if one of their squad suffers a serious injury, it is a huge risk to leave out a player that has 156 caps for his country and a decision which may come back to haunt Klinsmann should they fail to qualify for the last 16.

With Portugal, Germany and Ghana this is the hardest group they could have been put in but they have been handed a relatively easy start in 2010 quarter-finalists Ghana.

A victory is a must if they stand any chance of making it past this stage and the players available have what it takes to cause an upset in the group.

Clinty Dempsey is still a talented striker and is in form heading into the tournament.

Midfielder Michael Bradley was a huge success at Roma and despite his return to the MLS with Toronto, his form is one of the reasons Klinsmann is able to leave Donovan at home.