Is US Soccer in Better Shape Than Before the Last World Cup?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 30, 2013

commentComment        

The United States Men's National Team continued its winning ways with the 2013 Gold Cup tournament. The group extended its all-time winning streak to 11 matches.

Now, the boys donning the crest turn their attention back to World Cup qualifying.

The USMNT stand atop the standings with 10 points. It looks like a foregone conclusion that the guys will be traveling south to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. But are they more prepared for what lies ahead this time? There is still a lot of time for that question to be answered, but thus far it looks like a resounding “yes."

Let's travel back to 2010.

The U.S. went 3-3 before the World Cup in South Africa but played decent competition. However, there were still the same problems as before: shoddy possession play, bad set-piece defense and a lack of overall athleticism.

Following the knockout stage loss to Ghana, the U.S. turned its eyes toward 2014.

Enter 2011 and the Jurgen Klinsmann era.

Klinsmann knew the road to Brazil would be challenging, and a host of changes needed to be made. In the era of instant reaction, the fans were not pleased with the results he was putting out. The United States were changing formations, strategies and, most importantly, personnel.

Klinsmann hasn't found an answer for every deficiency yet, but there has been an obvious improvement. Just making it to The Hex was a challenge in itself.

Now, the USMNT has found a groove. Especially offensively.



There are new faces from the backline all the way up to the forwards. They bring in a competitive spirit that may have been lacking the last go-around. Players such as Jozy Altidore underperformed in previous years, but 2013 has seen him finally come in to form.

There is a growing confidence for the USMNT. That will help the team compete against the best come World Cup time. The players are buying in to Kli...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!