Five players in MLS Cup playoffs who could lift floundering USMNT

Jurgen Klinsmann has scoured the globe in search of players who are eligible to represent the United States men’s national team. Results have been mixed. The U.S. survived the "Group of Death" at the World Cup only to collapse in the Gold Cup 12 months later.

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The German coach remains an outspoken advocate for American players going abroad and testing themselves in Europe’s top leagues. At times, he’s even appeared to harbor a certain amount of disdain for the top U.S. domestic league, Major League Soccer.

[FC Yahoo: Possible candidates to replace Jurgen Klinsmann as USMNT coach]

But with the U.S. badly in need of rejuvenation in the wake of its most recent failure – a 3-2 extra-time loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup – and with few American players currently distinguishing themselves abroad, it is possible the solution Klinsmann seeks can be found closer to home.

[FC Yahoo: The complete MLS Cup playoffs picture and schedule]

With the MLS Cup playoffs kicking off on Wednesday, here are some of the players in the postseason who could offer a boost to Klinsmann's floundering USMNT.

Sebastian Lletget

The Los Angeles Galaxy made some big mid-season signings this summer, and while it might be Steven Gerrard and Giovani Dos Santos who garnered the headlines, you could argue that neither has had as big of an impact on the pitch as Lletget.

A Bay Area native with Argentine parents, Lletget was discovered by scouts from West Ham United as a teenager. Although he spent six years with the East London outfit, he made only one appearance for the senior team before signing with the Galaxy in May. Since joining the defending MLS champs, the 23-year-old has scored seven goals and made a difference on the left wing, where his skill on the dribble opens up opportunities for teammates.

It’s still early days for Lletget in MLS and, as Galaxy coach Bruce Arena says, “In some ways he’s a first-year professional.” But with his technical skill, passing range and knack for dribbling past defenders, Lletget could provide something different on the left wing, where Klinsmann has inexplicably taken to deploying Jermaine Jones of late.

Dax McCarty

Once a regular fixture in the U-20 and U-23 men’s national teams, McCarty looked to have a future with the senior squad after Bob Bradley handed him his debut in 2009. In 2011, he even captained the side to a 1-1 draw against Chile in a preseason friendly.

But under Klinsmann, McCarty has found himself basically shut out, with the coach preferring the likes of Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman in central midfield.

McCarty has kept his career plugging along at club level, winning the MLS Western Conference with FC Dallas and two Supporters Shields with New York Red Bulls. This season, he was second on the team with eight assists and has been a rock in the center of the park for the team that’s among the favorites to reach the MLS Cup final. With Jones and Beckerman approaching their mid-30s, McCarty could bring some youth and steel back to the heart of the U.S. midfield.

Darlington Nagbe

At the moment, Nagbe seems to be the name on everyone’s lips – including Klinsmann’s, apparently. A Liberia-born son of a professional soccer player, Nagbe came to the U.S. as an 11-year-old. Last month, while in the process of powering the Portland Timbers to the MLS playoffs, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

With World Cup qualifiers against St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago looming next month, the timing for the 25-year-old’s naturalization could hardly be better. A dynamic attacking midfielder and set-piece specialist, Nagbe could help spark a U.S. midfield that has looked flat and uninspired lately.

Sacha Kljestan

Klinsmann constantly says he wants his players to pursue opportunities to test themselves in Europe’s best leagues. So it’s ironic he chose to omit the one American player to have featured in the UEFA Champions League in recent years from his World Cup squad.

In four years with Belgian side Anderlecht, Kljestan made four appearances in Europe’s elite club competition and even registered an assist. Domestically, he made 134 appearances in the Belgian Pro League, scored 18 goals and helped Anderlecht to three consecutive Belgian Pro League titles.

Since returning to MLS to join New York Red Bulls earlier this year, Kljestan, 30, has started 33 matches, scored eight goals and registered nine assists. The former Chivas USA man has been at the center of just about everything that’s turned NYRB into an MLS Cup contender. With the U.S. in need of creativity in central midfield, Kljestan has the skill and experience, not to mention the European pedigree that Klinsmann places such a premium on.

Charlie Davies

Six years ago, Charlie Davies looked as if he might be striker the U.S. had been waiting for. He had blinding pace, was good on the ball and had enough ability as a finisher to secure a contract with Ligue 1 side Sochaux.

Davies helped the U.S. reach the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup and featured prominently in Bob Bradley’s plans for World Cup qualification. But then he violated curfew and was involved in a car crash that took the life of another passenger and could easily have ended his.

It might also have ended the playing career of someone less determined than Davies. But over the half decade since, he has worked hard to rehabilitate and redeem himself on the pitch. And it’s paid dividends for his team, the New England Revolution. Last season, Davies helped power the Revs all the way to the MLS Cup final; this season, he leads the team in scoring with 10 goals.

There are some who feel Davies had his chance with the USMNT and blew it. But with the other prospects at striker not having really panned out, Davies, who is still just 29, could be worth another look.