Remember the excitement when Jurgen Klinsmann was hired as the Technical Director for the USMNT? He used words like "style" and "development" to pump up fans. He raised a banner, started a mission, and declared a World Cup Champion by 2018. Confidence, skill and risk taking were to become the norm. The future was unlimited! He brought in young players with a mix of veterans. He started kids in an adult sport. The veterans were glorified as mentors. The 2014 World Cup was a job well done.
Fast forward to October 2015. The year stared well and only got better with victories over Holland and Germany in their countries. Amazing! How did they do it? How did Jurgen do it? Youth. Yes, there were some veterans, but the youth came with hunger, strength and speed. Were they more skilled than these teams? No. They just had a little more something to prove. As 2015 has gone, those two games were the highlights. Unfortunately, 2015 continued.
Flaming out of the Gold Cup semifinals to Jamaica, quitting on the CONCACAF Cup to Mexico, and losing to Honduras in the semifinal Olympic qualifier are all evidence of Klinsi running his course or losing his mind. I placed total blame on him in the Gold Cup and CONCACAF Cup since he picked those teams. They were slow, old, and complacent. The semifinal Olympic qualifier is his fault too since he is the Technical Director of the USMNT and its development. He did not pick this team, but they are his coaches.
The excuses are that the USMNT now has no attackers, no skill, no reinforcements, no hope, and no leaders. Sunil Gulati hired Jurgen and will hold on to his greatness from his playing days and will most likely not fire him. They have both become so prideful with their past accomplishments that they forgot to prepare to win today's games. The recent heartbreaking losses can be fixed easily and both would look like geniuses. The solution is to go back to the youth. Where are these players? All over 2nd and 3rd divisions in Europe, South America and the MLS. Unfortunately, the gaze of Klinsmann only makes it to the Bundesliga.
As his history has gone, he started younger players in 2011, resorted to veterans in tighter games, stopped developing / playing younger players, and now blames the players for not stepping up. His finger pointing through the media will only demotivate players and lose the locker room.
His last stand starts today in a friendly against Costa Rica. Please go back to playing the youth, take your lumps, grow stronger. He did this with the German team in 2006 and 8 years later, these youngsters matured and won a World Cup in 2014. World Cup qualifiers start in November against St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago. If Klinsi does not get wins in these two games, Gulati may need to pull the plug.
