More often than not in recent meetings, the USA have lost out to their European counterparts at the Ryder Cup.

This time around in Chicago there appears to be renewed hope that this year could be the time for the Americans to regain the trophy.

Below are the 12 players that will be attempting to make home advantage count at the Medinah Country Club.

Davis Love III - Captain

To be brutally honest, Love's playing statistics from his six Ryder Cup outings are not the best. In a total of 26 matches, he was only able to emerge victorious from nine of them. Having said that, he has still been involved in some of the most memorable moments of the Ryder Cup in recent years. For example, his unbeaten pairing alongside Tiger Woods in 2002 was some of the best foursomes and fourballs golf that many can remember.

Keegan Bradley

The 26-year-old's rise to prominence over the past two seasons has been nothing short of remarkable. On debut in 2011 he won the US PGA Championship ahead of compatriot Jason Dufner and followed that up with success at this year's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The latter was his third title - all of which meant that he was a certainty to make his first appearance at the Ryder Cup in Chicago.

Jason Dufner

Surprisingly at the age of 35, this weekend will be the first time that Dufner has appeared at a Ryder Cup. He heads into the event in very good form, with a victory and two runner-up finishes in recent weeks. The Cleveland-born player also impressed when finishing fourth during the US Open.

Jim Furyk

Skipper Love handed Furyk a wildcard into this Ryder Cup, thus ensuring that the 42-year-old has been a mainstay of the American team since 1997. While his record in the foursomes and fourballs is not overly favourable, it is in the singles where he has excelled over the years. In seven matches he has won four and halved another. He heads into the tournament having tied for fourth with Dufner at the US Open.

Dustin Johnson

It would be fair to say that Johnson's Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor is one that he would like to forget. Despite winning his final singles match against Martin Kaymar on the final day, he lost all three of his foursomes and fourballs matches when paired with Phil Mickelson and Furyk. He's been in good form this year though, finishing within the top five of the The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank.

Zach Johnson

The 36-year-old will be featuring in his third Ryder Cup and his first on home soil this weekend. His previous two ended in defeats in Ireland and Wales. On a personal level he has respectable record as part of the American team, winning three and losing three of his encounters. Johnson is a nine-time PGA Tour winner and former Masters champion.

Matt Kuchar

In his one and only Ryder Cup appearance back in 2010, Kuchar formed a decent performance with Stewart Cink. During the fourballs they halved with Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell and then went on to defeat the Irish pair during the foursomes in session two. The 34-year-old earned himself a reputation as a consistent player this year with eight top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.

Phil Mickelson

For someone of the stature of Mickelson, many would expect him to have a better record from his eight previous previous Ryder Cups. The 42-year-old has won just 11 of his 34 matches, losing 17. Having said that, his record at home is a lot more favourable. One thing is for sure, there will be no repeat of his 2004 pairing with Tiger Woods!

Brandt Snedeker

The 31-year-old has already got one over several of the European squad with his victory in the FedEx Cup at the weekend. The Nashville-born player saw off the challenge from Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Luke Donald to get his hands on the title. Snedeker is renowned as one of the best putters on tour at the moment.

Webb Simpson

Simpson stole the headlines this year when he overturned a final day four-shot deficit to win the US Open at the Olympic Club in what was only his fifth outing at a Major. Prior to that success he recorded a number of top-five finishes. Although this will be his first Ryder Cup, he has previous experience of team golf following appearances in the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup.

Steve Stricker

The 45-year-old made his first appearance at a Ryder Cup back in 2008. Despite the fact that he was part of a winning team, Stricker only contributed half a point from three matches. He fared better at Celtic Manor two years ago, with a singles victory over Lee Westwood his main highlight. Back in 2005 Stricker dropped to 337 in the world rankings.

Bubba Watson

Along with teammate Jeff Overton, Watson helped coin the phrase "Boom Baby" during the 2010 Ryder Cup. That was about as memorable as it got for the 33-year-old, who went on to lose three of his four matches at Celtic Manor. This year has been relatively successful for Watson, who won the the 2012 Masters. Reports have claimed that he will be paired with Simpson.

Tiger Woods

There is a school of thought that claims Woods is not at his best when playing as part of a team. A quick look at the statistics certainly backs that up. He's won four of his six singles, while in contrast he has lost 13 times in the fourballs and foursomes. Another surprising fact is that Woods has only been on the winning side once in his six appearances. America's last win back in 2008 came when he was not present.