“For me, life is just an ongoing learning process.” - Jurgen Klinsmann
By John Smith-Ramos, writing from Washington DC
It hasn’t been the ideal start for Juergen Klinsmann. A draw against Mexico, followed by a pair of 1-0 losses - home and away - over the past week is not particularly impressive form. 3 games, however, and friendlies at that, are not enough to start judging Klinsmann based purely on his results. But is it also too soon to ask if the team is headed in right direction? And what direction is that, exactly?
Klinsmann’s long-term goal, at least, is simple. The US needs to advance out of its group at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Simply qualifying for the tournament is no longer enough. The past two decades of growth, on the field and off it, has turned the US from plucky underdogs to regional power. The CONCACAF region is simply not strong enough to justify a soccer program of the US’s size and wealth’s failure to reach international football’s biggest stage.
However, just because American fans have come to take World Cup qualification for granted doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Fueled by the rise of Chicharito, the gulf in class between the USMNT and Mexico appears to be widening, and, as Friday’s defeat against Costa Rica reminds us, there are signs that the smaller countries may just be beginning to fancy their chances of overtaking the United States. Reversing that trend will be Klinsmann’s immediate short term goal as US boss. Why is that happening? Because time is catching up. The team’s two most talented players (proven talent at least), Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, will be 32 and 31 by the time 2014 rolls around. Both will have a lot of miles on them — it will be Donovan’s 4th Cup, Dempsey’s 3rd. At the back, team captain Carlos Bocanegra will be 35. Assuming he’s still playing, it will be his 3rd World Cup as well. It’s no guarantee that US fans can expect the kinds of performances from them in 2014 that they’ve seen in the past. Replacements must be found. To his credit, Klinsmann seems to realize this, and the three friendlies the team has played so far have been marked with plenty of fresh faces. How Klinsmann tracks these players’ development over the next 2 years and fits them into his squad will be the key to his success or failure as the team’s manager. It’s a new era.
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Worth reading. Brilliant analysis of Jurgen’s tenure so far.
