It is often a nebulous task to define progress within the United States men's national team, especially in non-World Cup years. The significance of the team's results varies based on the quality of opponent, the availability of the players and the overall notoriety of the tournaments the team plays in. However, there is little ambiguity for U.S. team progress in 2015, as manager Jurgen Klinsmann has clearly stated that his goal is for the team to qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.
The team's Gold Cup semifinal loss to Jamaica means that the U.S. must now beat Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup playoff in October. This one-off game puts added pressure on U.S. players leading up to the CONCACAF Cup, and the team's Tuesday friendly against Brazil will be the last chance for certain players to prove that they can help lead the U.S. to a big victory.
As Klinsmann stated prior to last week's friendly versus Peru, these lead-up matches serve as proving grounds: "We want to see, in these next two games, them making a real clear statement that, 'I belong in that game. I'm the one for the big moments.'"
Here is a look at five U.S. players with the most to prove -- both on Tuesday versus Brazil and with their clubs over the next month -- in order to earn a starting spot or playing time against El Tri on Oct. 10.
Tim Ream
Ream was solid as a left back in the team's friendly against Peru, ranking second on the team with two tackles and third on the team with three interceptions. The recently acquired Fulham defender also made two solid appearances at center back for the U.S. during the 2015 Gold Cup. However, the logjam of candidates in that position, combined with the likely combination of Fabian Johnson and Gyasi Zardes as defender and midfielder along the left side, respectively, suggests that the versatile Ream would need to prove himself as a right back in order to have a significant impact against Mexico.
Ream's chances as a wide defender are further increased by the recent injury to incumbent Gold Cup right back Timothy Chandler. So far, Ream has made just one appearance for Fulham -- as a right back -- and over the next month he will need to prove that he can get forward and influence the attack in addition to his defensive responsibilities. In a combined five appearances between the Gold Cup and 2015 international friendlies, Ream has recorded just 18.5 percent of his touches in the attacking half. This number pales in comparison to Chandler, who recorded 40.1 percent of his touches in the attacking half during the same subset of games. However, if Ream earns significant playing time at this position over the next month, his chances of appearing in the CONCACAF Cup are likely to increase based on the lack of U.S. depth in wide defensive roles.
Mix Diskerud
Diskerud has demonstrated in his New York City FC performances that he can play two distinct roles. The midfielder ranks second on NYCFC with 40 total tackles, and can serve as a holding player in front of the back four with strong distribution abilities. Diskerud also ranks third on NYCFC with 25 total chances created, and has played primarily as a right-sided attacker since center midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard joined the team at the end of July.
While Diskerud could serve as a holding midfield option for the U.S., his positioning in Gold Cup and recent club performances suggest that he will be an attacking option in the CONCACAF Cup. However, in that role the 24-year-old must prove that he can consistently create attacking chances in order to compete with right midfielders DeAndre Yedlin and Alejandro Bedoya for playing time. Diskerud failed to create a chance and managed just one shot attempt (on target) in 113 minutes of Gold Cup action. From both a national team and club standpoint, it's important that he combine more with teammates in central and wide positions in order to have a more influential role in the attacking third.
Ventura Alvarado
Alvarado is the most prominent U.S. player in Liga MX, and his familiarity with the domestic Mexican league will be an asset for the U.S. team. Alvarado currently ranks third on Club America with 15 total interceptions, and his two tackles per 90 minutes so far in the 2015 Liga MX Apertura is an improvement over the 1.3 tackles per 90 minutes he averaged in the 2015 Liga MX Clausura.
While Alvarado shows strong defensive instincts for breaking up attacking plays, he must prove that he can also be an asset for the U.S. when it has possession. Alvarado has regressed from 42 touches per 90 minutes in the 2015 Clausura to just 35 touches per 90 minutes so far in the 2015 Apertura, implying that he is not relied on to help Club America when the team is building possession from its back line. To his credit, Alvarado showed confidence in possession for the U.S. during the 2015 Gold Cup, completing 93 percent of his passes. However, Los Angeles Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez completed a comparable 90 percent of his passes for the U.S. in the Gold Cup, while also recording a higher volume of touches and pass attempts from the right center back position. The competition from Gonzalez means that Alvarado has more to prove in the next month, and his club form will be critical leading up to the CONCACAF Cup game.
Aron Johannsson
Johannsson's recent transfer to Bundesliga club Werder Bremen places higher expectations on the 24-year-old forward, and his ability to maintain a place in the team's starting lineup over the next month will directly impact his role in the CONCACAF Cup. Currently, Johannsson is behind Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey in the forward depth chart; however, the former AZ Alkmaar striker has recently shown a propensity for getting more involved inside the opponent's penalty area. In three 2015-16 Bundesliga appearances, Johannsson has recorded 12.1 percent of his touches in the opponent's penalty area, which is an improvement over the 9.2 percent that he averaged in the 2015 Gold Cup. Johannsson also ranks second on Werder Bremen with six total take-ons in the attacking third, and his ability to remain aggressive when attacking Bundesliga opponents is likely to earn him more time in the CONCACAF Cup if Altidore or Dempsey are not performing well.
Jermaine Jones
Jones must not only prove that he is healthy enough to compete in the U.S. game against Mexico, but also that he is capable of covering ground in the U.S. midfield. And while Jones was active and effective versus Peru, the 33-year-old midfielder has made just 12 appearances in the 2015 MLS season due to a groin injury, and in that time he appears to be less active than he was in his 10 appearances with the New England Revolution during the 2014 MLS regular season.
Jones is currently averaging 58 touches per 90 minutes in 2015, which is a significant drop from the 72 touches per 90 minutes he recorded in the 2014 MLS campaign. In addition to his mobility, Jones must also prove that he can maintain possession and accurately distribute the ball in the U.S. midfield. The former Schalke player ranked fourth on the U.S. with 37 total touches against Peru; however, Jones also ranked 16th out of the 17 U.S. players with a 58.6 pass completion percentage. If this rate does not improve, Klinsmann could turn to Mix Diskerud or Kyle Beckerman as alternative holding options to complement Michael Bradley in the U.S. central midfield.