The only thing that has really surprised me this far into the Gold Cup is how dominant the USMNT was against Cuba last night (seriously, barely anything else surprised me; I almost predicted the team's starting lineup perfectly a couple weeks ago, save for Johannsson up front). 

Throughout the group stage, we played to the level of our opposition, no matter how good or bad they were, something I myself have become far too used to as a DC sports fan. It took Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and co. until the knockout round to really spread their wings, which was a sight for sore eyes. But which of these US teams is the one we're going to see for the rest of the tournament?

Let's break it down, line by line.

Defense:

I really have to hand it to Jurgen Klinsmann. He has continued - against everyone's will - to show confidence in Timmy Chandler at Right Back, and the German-American has improved in every game of this tournament. In fact, he may be the best RB in CONCACAF right now. I know, it feels weird to say it, but Chandler has been relatively solid defensively, and his deliveries into the box have been nothing short of pure quality. Our fans should feel confident with Chandler at Right Back going forward in this tournament, and towards the next World Cup cycle.

Centrally, I will stand by my original prediction and say that Alvarado and Brooks are still the best tandem, although Omar Gonzalez filled in well last night while Brooks was suspended. Similarly to the Chandler situation, Klinsmann has shown belief in the two young Center Backs, and they have responded by getting better every game. They are more comfortable on the ball, better at communicating with each other, and smarter positionally than ever before. 

Alongside Fabian Johnson, who is so good that I don't even need to go into depth about him, our back four is definitely good enough to help us win the Gold Cup. 

Midfield:

This is the biggest conundrum for me. To start off, it is clear that Klinsmann's faith in Michael Bradley as an Attacking Midfielder has paid off. After a shaky start to his time at that position (he has hopefully forgotten about Brazil last year), the captain has shown improved vision and quicker decision-making, traits that have helped him carve apart opposing defenses at will over the past few months.

On another note, it has been nice to see Alejandro Bedoya coming back to full health, and he has shown that he is a quality player. However, this only further complicates our midfield, who has not really had an identity yet this month. Players like Beckerman, Bradley, Bedoya, Morales, and Corona are all some type of central midfielder, yet Klinsmann has experimented with a few of them in wide positions. 

These experiments, in my opinion, have largely gone wrong, because these central-minded players naturally drift inward, which hurts the width of the team and throws off the balance of whatever formation we may be playing. The likes of DeAndre Yedlin and Gyasi Zardes have thrived out wide, so I think our best bet would be to leave them out there and rotate the central roles between Beckerman, Bradley, and possibly Bedoya, with Morales and Corona coming off the bench.

Our country is blessed with the most well-rounded group of midfielders in the region; however, they have to be played in the right positions, or they could become inconsistent and get burned by speedy teams (such as Jamaica, who we play in the semifinal on Wednesday). 

Attack:

I cannot describe my jubilation upon realizing that Klinsmann finally understands our attacking situation. Once he decided to drop Altidore in favor of Aron Johannsson, our team has looked so much more fluid. Against Cuba last night, and Panama the previous game (even though we only scored once in that game), the "Iceman" has shown all the traits that make him better than any other Striker on the squad. While Altidore may be better at bullying defenders, Johannsson makes up for his smaller stature with top-class ball control and passing, as well as beautiful technique. 

Assuming that Gyasi Zardes plays in a wider position out left, the Dempsey/Johannsson combination could be the most fruitful that we have seen in a long time. Pair up two forwards who have legitimate technical skill on the ball and opposing defenses barely stand a chance.

Final thoughts:

Jamaica will be a very tough opponent, and they are still riding high on confidence after an above-average performance at Copa America. As a team, Jamaica are probably the fastest that the US will come up against, but they have a relatively weak defense in addition to central midfielders that can most certainly be out-classed by Bradley and his compatriots. 

The most important matchups will involve Timmy Chandler and Fabian Johnson. If our outside backs can prevent the blazingly quick Jamaican wingers from getting in behind and crossing into dangerous areas, there is no reason to believe that the Yanks can't go marching on into the final in Philadelphia.