So much of the attention on the U.S. soccer team of late has focused on which players coach Jurgen Klinsmann selected for the back end of his 23-man roster and the omission of Landon Donovan, a three-time World Cup veteran and the best-known American player.

The obsession with the bottom of the roster is misguided. Teams shine at the World Cup because their stars do, not because players at the end of the bench emerge from obscurity. That means any discussion of the prospects for Team USA, which plays the first of three pre-tournament...