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Soccer US National Team

Is Jurgen Klinsmann Still the Right Man For the Job?

By @adamdclifton

Getty Images

Getty Images

It is easy to disregard International Friendlies as meaningless. However, there are several patterns starting to develop that are concerning for the United States Men’s National Team. The United States escaped a difficult group at the 2014 World Cup. Hoping to build on the momentum of this performance in Brazil, the United States National Team have appeared to take several steps back as 2014 has drawn to a close.

In friendly matches following the World Cup, the USMNT carried over their solid form from the World Cup in defeating the Czech Republic 2-1. Since that victory, the US have drawn two and lost two games. The problem with these games is not the score, it has been the way the games have played out.

The United States jumped out to early leads in three of the four games. After taking the lead, the USMNT have struggled to control games and hold onto their advantage. Against Ecuador and Honduras, the USMNT gave up late equalizing goals. Against Colombia, the team failed to hold onto their early advantage, getting thoroughly outplayed and eventually losing 2-1. In the last friendly of 2014, the United States fell 4-1 to what appeared to be the second choice squad for Ireland. The poor second half performances are a concerning trend for the United States Men’s National Team.

Jurgen Klinsmann has raised eyebrows on several occasions as the manager of the USMNT. He has consistently called up players from leagues outside of Major League Soccer, criticized Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey for returning to MLS and has been very critical of a variety of aspects relating to MLS. It is difficult to be the manager of the United States National Team.

The current problems for the National Team can be attributed to a variety of reasons. First, the meaningful games for this team are over and are not going to be played anytime soon. These games are a great opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate potential talent in live game situations. Second, many of the stars of the USMNT were not called up for the last friendlies of 2014 due to their club team commitments. Finally, the United States have played very good teams away from home to close out the year. These circumstances create a perfect storm for the USMNT to look underwhelming.

For now, it is unfair to judge Jurgen Klinsmann on four meaningless friendlies at a point in the season where meaningful games will not be played for several months. However, it is crucial that Klinsmann addresses several issues within and outside of the USMNT.

First, Klinsmann must establish a solid core of players who the team can count on in all meaningful USMNT matches. It is OK to tinker with the lineup in friendlies, but he should be consistent for the meaningful games. Second, he must clear up the “misunderstanding” regarding his comments about MLS. Finally, Klinsmann must find a way to solve the second half struggles that have plagued this team in 2014.

Jurgen Klinsmann is known for emphasizing the fitness of his players. He must figure out why the team has struggled to see out games and do anything he can to address this issue.

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