Copa America presents Klinsmann's USA with midcycle bellwether

The World Cup remains in the distance, but the Copa America Centenario gives the U.S. national team a chance to see exactly how its current crop of players stacks up.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The international soccer scene typically thinks in four-year cycles, and Jurgen Klinsmann is no exception.

From Ventura Alvarado to Gyasi Zardes, the U.S. national team coach has auditioned plenty of prospects since the 2014 World Cup. Veterans, of course, have been under the microscope as well.

For the U.S. squad, the marquee test for this generation typically would be two years away. But the Copa America Centenario on home soil gives Klinsmann's team an unusual midcycle bellwether. Although the 2018 World…