Five lesser known players who could spring a surprise in World Cup 2014

Landon Donovan (USA)

 

In 1999, Landon Donovan picked up the Golden Ball as the best player at the FIFA U-17 World Championship in New Zealand and since then, he hasn’t looked back. Having played a crucial role in his country’s stunning quarterfinal appearance in the 2002 World Cup, Donovan has enjoyed a rather successful career for his country, something which he has not been able to replicate at the club level. For the US Men’s national team, Donovan is the all-time leader in scoring and assists, and having played more than 100 matches for his country, has the most caps of all active players.

He is also the only American player to reach the 50 goals and 50 assists mark. In World Cup 2010 where USA topped the group stage in a relatively easy group before losing to Ghana in the pre-quarterfinals, Donovan was the top scorer with 4 goals including one against Ghana. It is also speculated that World Cup 2014 will be his last international tournament his country and the Americans are sure to miss him for his amazing contribution to their footballing history.