5 Ways Jurgen Klinsmann Can Make USMNT Better in 2015

Listening to Jurgen Klinsmann talk about getting to the World Cup semifinal in 2018 reminds me of everything that is wrong with youth soccer in the United States. Travel soccer programs (one of which my eight-year-old son plays for) tacitly promise to make otherwise unremarkable young soccer players into athletes capable of playing in high school or even in college. Parents see their kids running around... 

Why Chris Wondolowski Should Be Axed for USMNT Following Loss to Ireland

Match sheets are usually too limited by their silence to tell the whole story of a moment, but Tuesday night’s recitation of Republic of Ireland 4-1 United States contained one fairly telling piece of information. Bobby Wood came on for Chris Wondolowski after 45 minutes, even after Wondolowski had assisted on Mix Diskerud’s goal in the 39th minute. It may not have been Wondolowski’s... 

Klinsmann’s Defenseless Americans Make 2018 World Cup Dreams a Joke

ESPN commentators Ian Darke and Taylor Twellman spoke truth in the 86th minute of the United States men’s national team’s embarrassing, sorry 4-1 loss to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. The Yanks were already down 3-1 when Geoff Cameron (i.e. one of the Americans’ best players) hacked down Irish midfielder Stephen Quinn because none of Cameron’s teammates had dealt adequately... 

Klinsmann’s Cavalier Tactics Cost Americans in Deflating Late Loss to Colombia

Jurgen Klinsmann recently told NBC Sports’ Arlo White he wants to get to the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup. By the summer of 2018, he might have a side capable of going that far. In the fall of 2014, though, what Klinsmann has is a side that is significantly under-experienced and still too dependent on grit and guile over talent to compete seriously with great teams. That is why Klinsmann... 

3 Things USA Should Test in International Friendly with Honduras

United States men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been taking heat for his tactics from some of his best-known past players. “We practically only practiced fitness under Klinsmann,” said Philipp Lahm per a June report in the Sporting News. “There was very little technical instruction and the players had to get together independently before the game to discuss how... 

USA vs. Ecuador: Winners and Losers from International Friendly

Landon Donovan was always going to be the story of the United States men’s national team’s friendly with Ecuador. From the moment Donovan announced that this match would be his last in an American shirt, the primary takeaway would be how his storied career ended. But to the surprise of this correspondent, anyway, the number of issues that sprung from this seemingly mundane friendly were... 

Key Issues That Will Shape USA’s Clash with Czech Republic

The United States men’s national team is going back to work this week. A friendly with the Czech Republic in Prague is about as far as one can get from the intensity of the USA’s round-of-16 loss to Belgium in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. The Czechs did not even qualify for that tournament. Consistent with the USMNT’s normal operation, the battles that will shape its match with the... 

10 Things USMNT Learned from 2014 World Cup Campaign

The United States men’s national team’s 2014 World Cup run seemed interminable until its frenetic, then sudden end. All three of the Americans’ group-stage matches were tightly contested. Their encounter with Belgium was as lopsided as any match that finished scoreless through regulation time could be, but American goalkeeper Tim Howard’s historic performance extended the American... 

Belgium vs. USA: 6 Things We Learned

You could forgive American supporters of the United States men’s national team for their relative ignorance of the sides Jurgen Klinsmann’s team played in Group G of this World Cup. If you had known a great deal about Ghana’s national team before the Americans beat them, consider yourself part of a serious football minority. African football does not get much coverage in the States. Just... 

Why Jurgen Klinsmann Deserves More Credit for Building for the Future

United States men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann deserves more credit than he is getting for building his 2014 World Cup squad with 2018 and beyond in mind. Klinsmann could have taken the easy road and built his 2014 team around Landon Donovan and other 30-something players. Forward-thinking supporters would have been concerned about the team’s prospects for the future, but everyone... 

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