The 2006 FIFA World Cup is approaching fast and the United States has finally named its 23-man roster that will be going to Germany.

With one of the most talented pool of players to choose from ever, the U.S. national team will have the best shot it’s ever had at winning the cup. Head coach Bruce Arena had a difficult decision to make and now that the dust has settled, let’s take a closer look at the roster.

Probably the most surprising player named to the national team is forward Brian Ching. The talented striker from Hawaii was named over forward Taylor Twellman, the reigning Major League Soccer MVP. With Twellman struggling in the MLS this season and on the international stage, Ching was able to claim a spot. He made his case with a four-goal performance early this season, which definitely caught the eye of Arena.

Joining Ching at forward are English Premier League stud Brian McBride and MLS stars Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff.

In the midfield the U.S. is led by U.S. soccer poster-boy Landon Donovan. Donovan, one of the greatest soccer prodigies in U.S. soccer history, is living up to the hype as one of the most talented players in the world. Donovan’s world-class vision and stealth on the field will be complimented nicely by the speedy DaMarcus Beasley.

Joining Donovan and Beasley in the midfield will be U.S. captain and EPL player Claudio Renya. Also, an injury-prone John O’Brien returns to the national team after an impressive showing in the last world cup.

Clint Dempsey of the MLS will be playing in his first cup while Bobby Convey, Ben Olsen and Pablo Mastroeni will also be in the mix at midfield.

At defense, the U.S. looks to play physical and intimidating soccer. Oguchi Onyewu has the size and presence to scare away any potential forwards looking for a scrappy goal.

U.S. national team veteran Eddie Pope will command his troops on defense with poise and determination. Ready to go to war with Pope are Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad, Joey Gibbs, Frankie Hedjuk and Eddie Lewis.

The U.S. last line of defense will be the acrobatics of goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Keller, arguably the best keeper in the world, returns to the world cup team after leading the U.S. to the semifinal game in 2002.

With all this talent and depth on the roster, there is no reason to believe that the U.S. can’t shock the world and finally put American soccer on the map by winning its first-ever World Cup.

It’s a long shot, but that’s what they said before the last world cup, which saw the U.S. come up one goal short of reaching the final.

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