USMNT 2014 World Cup Roster: Where Are They Now?

The 2014 World Cup was a period of transition for the U.S. men’s national team.

With Jürgen Klinsmann at the helm, many of the nation’s biggest stars of previous years—Landon Donovan, Cobi Jones, Claudio Reyna—had retired, while remaining veterans like Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and DaMarcus Beasley were approaching the twilight of their careers.

There was a sprinkling of young talent, including Jozy Altidore and Mix Diskerud, but expectations were modest.

At first, it seemed the team might overachieve: the USMNT beat Ghana in its opening group match in Brazil and held Portugal to a famous 2-2 draw, securing progression out of the group despite a defeat to Germany. The run of Klinsmann’s side ended in the Round of 16, however, where the USMNT lost 2-1 in extra time to Belgium.

While not the heroics of 2002, when the USMNT reached the quarterfinals, the 2014 squad is remembered for its valiant effort against tough opposition.

Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at where the players from that team are today.

Goalkeepers

Tim Howard

The USMNT exited the 2014 World Cup in the Round of 16 after a 2–1 defeat to Belgium. That score could have been far higher if not for Tim Howard, who put in a heroic performance.

The Everton goalkeeper made an astonishing 16 saves in the match—a World Cup record—ensuring the U.S. left the tournament with pride rather than a complete rout.

Howard continued to represent his country until 2017, retiring as the USMNT’s most-capped goalkeeper with 121 appearances, and hung up his boots completely three years later. Today, he’s a well-known pundit, a minority owner of Houston Dynamo FC and serves as an international ambassador for Everton.

Brad Guzan

Brad Guzan retired in 2025 after a long and respected career, becoming a cult hero at Aston Villa, where he spent eight years, and finishing his playing days with Atlanta United.

He earned 64 caps for the USMNT, though he was an unused as a substitute at both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Today, he serves as a Club Ambassador and Sporting Advisor for his former club Atlanta.

Nick Rimando

Nick Rimando was named to a World Cup squad for the first and only time in 2014, though he spent the entire tournament on the bench. He earned 22 caps for the USMNT, with the highlight of his international career coming in 2013 when he was the starting goalkeeper as the USMNT won the Gold Cup.

Domestically, Rimando spent his entire career in Major League Soccer, retiring in 2019 as the league’s all-time leader in games played, wins and shutouts. He won titles with Miami Fusion, D.C. United and Real Salt Lake.

Since retiring, he has coached in MLS Next Pro and worked to develop sports facilities across Salt Lake City.

Defenders

DeAndre Yedlin

Just 20 years old at the 2014 World Cup, DeAndre Yedlin featured in three games for the USMNT—two as a late substitute and one start in the Round of 16 loss to Belgium.

Since then, he’s had a varied career, playing for multiple MLS clubs, including Seattle Sounders FC, Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake, as well as in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Sunderland, and in Türkiye with Galatasaray.

Yedlin remains an active professional player today.

Omar Gonzalez

Omar Gonzalez started in the USMNT’s final group match against Germany and the Round of 16 clash with Belgium at the 2014 World Cup—two of the 52 caps he earned for his country. He’s perhaps most infamously remembered for an own goal in the final game of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Trinidad and Tobago, a 2–1 loss that ultimately prevented the USMNT from reaching the tournament.

Still active as a player, Gonzalez has played for LA Galaxy (winning three MLS Cups), Pachuca (winning the CONCACAF Champions League), Toronto FC and Chicago Fire, among others.

Matt Besler

A starter for the USMNT in every game at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Besler earned 47 caps during his international career. He retired from professional soccer in 2021 after a final season with Austin FC, having spent the rest of his career at Sporting Kansas City, where he won one MLS Cup and three U.S. Open Cups.

Since retiring, Besler has worked as a motivational speaker, pundit and coach for local youth soccer teams in Kansas City.

John Brooks

A rare case among USMNT players, Brooks never played in MLS, instead spending most of his club career in Germany with Hertha BSC, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim. Eligible for the United States through his family, he earned 45 caps for the USMNT, including an appearance in the 2014 World Cup opener against Ghana, where he scored the game-winning goal in the 86th minute.

Brooks continues to play professionally in Germany today.

DaMarcus Beasley

Widely regarded as one of the USMNT’s greatest-ever players, DaMarcus Beasley had a stellar career at both club and international level.

Domestically, the versatile fullback and winger played for clubs including PSV, Manchester City, Rangers, Puebla and Houston Dynamo. For the USMNT, he earned 126 caps and scored 17 goals, playing every minute of the 2014 World Cup.

Since retiring in 2019, Beasley has become a part-owner of Fort Wayne FC and played a key role in Houston’s successful bid to be a host city for the 2026 World Cup.

Geoff Cameron

The versatile Geoff Cameron featured in three games at the 2014 World Cup, starting against Ghana and Portugal in the group stage and then in the Round of 16 loss to Belgium as a defensive midfielder. He finished his international career in 2017 with 55 caps and four goals.

Cameron spent much of his club career with Houston Dynamo and Stoke City, retiring in 2022. He has since founded his own soccer training academy, The Ground.

Timothy Chandler

Another USMNT player born in Germany, Timothy Chandler—who remains active today—has spent his entire club career in his home country, representing 1. FC Nürnberg and Eintracht Frankfurt.

He was an unused substitute at the 2014 World Cup and earned 29 caps for the USMNT, with his final appearance coming in 2016.

Fabian Johnson

Born in Germany, Fabian Johnson—like John Brooks—spent his entire club career in his birth country, representing 1860 Munich, Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim and Borussia Mönchengladbach before retiring in 2020.

A Germany international at youth level through to the brink of the senior side, he ultimately chose to represent the USMNT in 2011. He went on to earn 57 caps, featuring in every game of the 2014 World Cup.

Since retiring, Johnson has largely faded from the public eye, deleting his social media accounts and seemingly taking a step back from the game altogether.

Midfielders

Michael Bradley

The third-most capped player in USMNT history, Michael Bradley earned 151 appearances for his country, playing every minute of the 2014 World Cup and helping the team win the Gold Cup in 2007 and 2017.

At club level, he enjoyed a well-traveled career, featuring in the Eredivisie, Premier League and Serie A. However, he found his greatest success in MLS with Toronto FC, becoming a key figure in the first Canadian side to win the MLS Cup and the first in league history to complete a domestic treble in 2017.

Bradley has since moved into coaching, taking up his first role with Red Bull New York in 2025.

Mix Diskerud

Born in Oslo, Norway, to an American mother and Norwegian father, Max Diskerud earned 38 caps for the USMNT between 2010 and 2016, though he remained an unused substitute at the 2014 World Cup.

He has played for clubs in Norway, the U.S. and Turkey, with a very brief stint at Manchester City, but has been without a club since 2023.

Alejandro Bedoya

Alejandro Bedoya has been a mainstay for the USMNT since 2010 and is still active domestically with the Philadelphia Union, whom he joined in 2016 and now captains.

At the 2014 World Cup, he played in every match: starting against Ghana, Portugal and Belgium, and coming off the bench against Germany.

Jermaine Jones

Another German-born talent, Jermaine Jones initially played three times for Germany before switching allegiance to the USMNT in 2010.

He went on to earn 69 caps, including featuring in every USMNT match at the 2014 World Cup, where he arguably delivered the team’s standout performances—assisting a goal against Ghana and scoring against Portugal.

At club level, Jones played for the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt, Schalke, Beşiktaş, LA Galaxy and several other teams. He retired in 2020 and has since moved into coaching, holding roles with Central Valley Fuego and 1. FC Schweinfurt.

Brad Davis

Best known for his long tenure with the Houston Dynamo, Brad Davis earned 17 caps for the USMNT, his final appearance coming as a substitute against Germany at the 2014 World Cup.

Since retiring in 2016, Davis has focused on charity work supporting veterans, including providing free tickets to matches and helping service members transition back to civilian life.

Kyle Beckerman

Once recognizable for his dreadlocks, Kyle Beckerman is an MLS legend and one of the division’s most-capped players ever, having played for Miami Fusion, Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake. He earned 58 caps for the USMNT before retiring in 2020.

Since hanging up his boots, Beckerman has moved into coaching, including serving as head coach of the Utah Valley Wolverines men’s soccer team.

Julian Green

A product of Bayern Munich’s academy (though not born in Germany), Julian Green was playing for the club’s second team when he made his USMNT debut in 2014, just before the World Cup. He featured for only 15 minutes in the tournament but made it count—coming on as a late substitute in the defeat to Belgium to score the USMNT’s only goal.

Still active today, playing in Germany for Greuther Fürth, Green hasn’t appeared for the national team since 2018.

Graham Zusi

Graham Zusi earned 55 USMNT caps, scoring five goals, and featured in every game at the 2014 World Cup. He’s perhaps best known for his domestic record, holding the distinction of being the longest-tenured player with a single club in MLS history—spending 15 seasons with Sporting Kansas City before retiring in 2023.

Since then, he has worked as a Community Ambassador for NBKC Bank and remains highly involved in the local soccer and charity communities.

Forwards

Clint Dempsey

The USMNT’s joint record goalscorer alongside Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey tallied 57 goals and is a true national team legend. Two of those goals came at the 2014 World Cup, where, as captain, he scored the opener in the 2-1 win over Ghana and again in the 2-2 draw with Portugal in their following match.

A three-time Concacaf Gold Cup winner and a cult hero for both Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, Dempsey retired in 2018 and has since become a well-known sports analyst on television.

Jozy Altidore

With 42 goals for the USMNT, Jozy Altidore remains one of the country’s all-time top scorers. He played just 23 minutes at the 2014 World Cup, starting the opening game against Ghana before suffering an injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the tournament.

Domestically, Altidore was once hailed as one of the best talents the U.S. had ever produced, though he never fully lived up to the hype, enduring difficult spells in both the Premier League and La Liga. He did, however, win multiple titles and scored prolifically for Toronto FC.

A year after his retirement in 2023, Altidore became part of a consortium that purchased a 20% stake in the Buffalo Bills of the NFL.

Chris Wondolowski

The MLS all-time leading scorer with 171 goals—most of them for the San Jose Earthquakes—Chris Wondolowski had a limited opportunity with the national team, earning just 35 caps and scoring 11 goals. He made only two brief substitute appearances at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Since retiring in 2021, Wondolowski has remained with the Earthquakes as the Head of U23 Individual Development Programming.

Aron Jóhannsson

Born to Icelandic parents studying in Alabama, Aron Jóhannsson was raised in Iceland and even represented the nation’s U-21 team before ultimately choosing to play for the USMNT in 2013. He earned 19 caps for the national team—including one appearance at the 2014 World Cup—with his final cap coming in 2015.

After stints in the Netherlands and Germany, Jóhannsson now continues his professional career back in Iceland.

Manager: Jürgen Klinsmann

Jürgen Klinsmann, who coached Germany at the 2006 World Cup, was appointed head coach of the USMNT in 2011 and held the role for five years—guiding the Stars and Stripes to the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup title.

Spells with Hertha Berlin and South Korea followed, but he is currently out of work.