The Fate of US Soccer: Klinsmann Deserves Respect. America Needs the Courage To Be Patient.
America is tired of our rally cry coming up short in front of a sold-out crowd at the Rose Bowl or losing to another country.
Soccer News: The U.S. Men’s National Team fell to Mexico 3-2 after extra time in an intense 120 minutes of action in the 2015 CONCACAF Cup. Then the USA fell to Costa Rica in front of 9,214 in New Jersey.
IS THIS JURGEN KLINSMANN’S FAULT?
The USA vs. Mexico match was played in front of a sold-out stadium of 93,723 fans at the Rose Bowl—the second largest crowd ever to attend a Men’s National Team game. With the victory, Mexico qualified for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.
Then, the USA lost to Costa Rica in front of a half-empty stadium in New Jersey. Costa Rica and the USA will now both enter the fourth round of qualifying next month.
The words of Landon Donovan echo through the halls of social media and on the lips of soccer fans worldwide.
Donovan made his opinion clear, via ESPN FC, of what should be done if the US lost – just before the USA v Mexico match:
“Around the world, if a player plays poorly and a player has a bad string of results, they get dropped from the team. Jurgen said many times he wants our players to feel pressure — so if they lose a game they can’t go to the grocery store the next day. If they lose a game, they are getting hammered in the press. Well, the same holds true for the coach, and so we had a very poor summer with bad results in the Gold Cup … The reality is that now, anywhere else in the world, if this coach had those results, and they lose this game against Mexico, they’d be fired. I think if Jurgen wants to hold all the players to that standard, then he has to be held to that standard too.”
Should a former US National Team player who is considered our country’s best male player call for the dismissal of the U.S. National Team Head Coach? Are these the words from a possibly embittered former professional soccer player who was left off the US World Cup Roster by that same coach?
Or is this America’s most-known soccer pro proclaiming we need a better coach for a brighter future? Is this Donovan’s turn to get even, or is he merely trying to hold Klinsmann accountable for USA’s performance on the soccer field? These are the questions being asked ….
The bigger question is whether Klinsmann is doing the best job possible with what he has. And who can judge this?
WHAT IS THE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN AMERICAN SOCCER? WHAT DO WE WANT AMERICAN SOCCER TO LOOK LIKE?
America has long ignored soccer, preferring to concentrate money, talent and resources on games that are typically American, such as football, baseball and basketball. While soccer may the most played sport on the planet, it is only recently — and after a long haul — captured the heart of sports fans on our shores.
Unlike our ancestors across the Atlantic where professional soccer teams have flourished for more than a century and youth soccer player development is ingrained into the core of the country’s culture, America’s MLS kicked off in 1996 and our youth soccer system is more like a toddler than a graduate professor.
DOES OUR COUNTRY’S HEAD COACH JURGEN KLINSMANN DESERVES RESPECT? YES.
America needs the courage to be patient and give him the time he needs to develop a winning roster – a team that will bring glory to America.
It is obvious that Klinsmann is trying a variety of tactics to improve how the USA performs in international competitions, what is not clear is when he will be successful. What have we learned from the U.S. Men’s National Team’s campaigns? Certainly America’s disdain of losing.
After shocking losses this year, Klinsmann has a uncertain road ahead. How long will U.S. Soccer support a losing campaign? Are marginal wins better than a series of losses which are often an intrinsic component of development? Are ‘we’ trying to please the sponsors and fans of the moment or really growing into a soccer nation that will make an impact on the world stage.
I hope it is the later and that we all can have the patience to realize that this vast country may have millions of people but few who have grown up with soccer in their heart and soul. Give it time. America may only like to be the best, but turning our nation into a sustainable and formidable opponent in the world’s most popular sport will take time.
USA v Costa Rica Game Details:
Forward Joel Campbell struck for Costa Rica in the 70th minute to give Costa Rica its second straight win against the United States.
Goal Scoring Rundown:
CRC – Joel Campbell, 70th minute: A nifty one-two put Dave Myrie through down the right flank. He slid a pass back to an onrushing Joel Campbell, who placed a low drive past a diving Tim Howard just inside the far post. USA 0, CRC 1 FINAL
ey Saves and Defensive Stops:
CRC – Keylor Navas, 30th minute: Brek Shea whipped a free kick to the far left post where Tim Ream tried heading back the opposite way. Navas responded with a reaction save.
USA – Brad Evans, 43rd minute: A slotted ball from the endline skided across the six yard box. Johan Venegas looked to have a clear shot on goal before a hustling Evans threw his body in the way to deny the opportunity.
USA – Tim Howard, 59th minute: Joel Campbell picked up a loose ball in midfield and bore down on goal. He hit a rising shot from 25 yards that Howard tiped over the bar.
USA – Tim Howard, 90th minute: With the U.S. pressing for an equalizer, Costa Rica found huge space for a counter and sent Marcos Urena in one-on-one with Howard. As Lee Nguyen closed, Howard stoned Urena to keep the U.S. in the match.
USA v Mexico Game Details:
The U.S. twice came from behind to equalize at 2-2 in the 108th minute, which appeared to be enough to send the game to penalty kicks, but Paul Aguilar’s spectacular volleyed in the 118th proved to be the game-winner.
Mexico got on the board early with Javier Hernandez finishing an Oribe Peralta cross in the 10th minute. It took only five minutes for the U.S. to respond with Geoff Cameron heading home a Michael Bradley free kick to level the game at 1-1. That score line would hold for the rest of regulation.
In extra time, Mexico was again the first to find the net with Peralta scoring in the 96th minute, but again the U.S. rallied and Bobby Wood scored to tie the game before Auguilar’s dagger.
The U.S. travel to New Jersey for a friendly against Costa Rica today, Oct. 13, which will serve as preparation for November’s World Cup Qualifying matches against St. Vincent & The Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago.
Goal Scoring Rundown:
MEX– Javier Hernandez (Oribe Peralta), 10th minute: Mexico threaded a ball up the middle into its attacking third and Oribe Peralta dummied the ball which ran to Raul Jimenez, who back-heeled it to Peralta who had continued his run. Peralta found himself facing U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan as he drove toward the near post, but as Guzan cut down the angle, Peralta pushed the ball across to Hernandez, who tapped it into the open net to put Mexico ahead early. USA 0, MEX 1
USA – Geoff Cameron (Michael Bradley) 15th minute: DaMarcus Beasley jetted down the left side and was chopped down for a free kick near the sideline. Bradley took the kick and swung it into the penalty area. Cameron beat his defender to the ball and headed a hard shot into the net to level the score. USA 1, MEX 1
MEX– Oribe Peralta (Paul Aguilar) 96th minute: Mexico caught the U.S. with a long lofted ball over the top on the right side that found Aguilar in the box. As Jermaine Jones and DaMarcus Beasley closed in, Aguilar lunged to push a cross back to the middle that Peralta ran onto and finished drove through the legs of the sliding Geoff Cameron and past Brad Guzan to put El Tri ahead. USA 1, MEX 2
USA– Bobby Wood (DeAndre Yedlin) 108th minute: Two substitutes combined for the goal as Yedlin slipped a lovely ball behind the defender to Wood inside the penalty area. Wood timed his run perfectly to beat the back line and then struck his shot first-time through the legs of the Mexican goalkeeper to tie the game. USA 2, MEX 2
MEX– Paul Aguilar (Raul Jimenez) 118th minute: With his back to the goal just above the right side of the U.S. penalty box, Jimenez kicked a loose ball high air and it fell right to the crashing Aguilar who smashed an incredible full volley left side of net to give Mexico the win the closing moments of the game. USA 2, MEX 3 FINAL
Key Saves and Defensive Stops:
MEX- Moises Munoz, 44th minute: The U.S. earned a free kick just outside on the penalty box near the left corner. Michael Bradley elected to go at goal, and curled a shot around the two-man wall that was headed for the lower left corner at the near post. Munoz hustled across the line and reached the shot on a dive to keep the score level.
