USMNT Ready to Shed Underdog Label in Knockout Round of Copa America

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 14, 2016

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The United States men's national team has been cast in the underdog role in almost every major competition it's entered in its history.

The only tournament in which the Yanks are considered a perennial favorite is the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann wants that to change as the side enters the knockout round of the Copa America Centenario.

"The whole old story is the underdog story, and I can't hear that story anymore," Klinsmann said after the USMNT's 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday. "I want to see them risk things. Let's go for it. If you're not going for it, sooner or later, they'll break you down because they have the class players."

Klinsmann makes a terrific point given the circumstances the Yanks will face on their potential road to the tournament final. After a wild series of events Saturday in Group A, the USMNT secured first place on the goal-differential tiebreaker against Colombia, who fell 3-2 to Costa Rica a few hours after the USMNT moved up to six points.



Winning the group placed the USMNT in Seattle for a Thursday matchup with Group B runner-up Ecuador. At CenturyLink Field, the Yanks will have a true home-field advantage. Most of the sites the USMNT play at in major tournaments on home soil possess some type of 50-50 or 60-40 split in terms of fans. That won't happen in Seattle, where one of the most passionate fanbases in the country will get a chance to shine as it looks to push the Yanks into the final four.

The USMNT boss set a clear objective for his side in the knockout round after Saturday's win, even before he knew where it was set to travel for the quarterfinals.



"What we'd love to see is that they become more confident and courageous to take the game to big teams," Klinsmann said. "We're not playing just counter football, that we go and really push it up.

"When you step on the field and see a certain jersey, it...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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