United States Men’s National Team coach Jürgen Klinsmann should be sacked.
After watching Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup, it’s become even more clear to me — Klinsmann isn’t the correct choice to lead the U.S. going forward.
Internally, you’re probably hearing Ron Burgundy’s voice run through your head, “Jack, let’s hold on. Let’s count to 10, all right? That’s a rash decision.”
It’s a strong opinion, which is why I’ve given myself two days to think about it. And after two days, I still feel the same way. It no longer feels like a knee-jerk reaction but something that needs to happen for the USMNT’s success moving forward.
Saturday’s loss was arguably the biggest game Klinsmann has managed outside of the World Cup: It determined which team will represent CONCACAF at the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017.
It’s a results-oriented profession, and Klinsmann’s team failed to get the result when it really mattered.
Mexico dominated the U.S. for 120 minutes, was denied a blatant penalty and could’ve easily scored four or five goals. Mexico completely outclassed the U.S. and recorded a win, something that hadn’t happened under Klinsmann’s reign as manager.
That brings me to my next observation: The U.S. regressed in 2015 under Klinsmann. It isn’t just a bad loss to Mexico that has people clamoring “Klinsmann Out!”
The USMNT’s exciting run at the 2014 World Cup seems like ancient history. According to numbers posted by Matthew Doyle, a writer for MLSsoccer.com, the World Cup run seems less impressive.
Doyle accumulated stats for the USMNT’s last seven World Cup appearances. In 2014, the U.S. had its smallest share of possession since 1994. The U.S. also posted fewer shots per 90 minutes in 2014 than any of the previous six World Cup appearances.
It looks like Klinsmann’s strategy was “defend for our lives and hope for the best.” It ended up working out, but you have to think that strategy isn’t always going to prove fruitful in future tournaments.
Friendly wins against the Netherlands and Germany were nice in 2015, but they’re friendly. They don’t really count for anything.
It’s the embarrassing losses to Jamaica and Panama at this summer’s Gold Cup that are etched into fans’ minds. The competitive matches the U.S. needed to win this year are the ones that were lost, and the blame lies with the coach.
The most frustrating thing for fans is that they know the U.S. is capable of a lot more if the right players are selected and the tactics are spot on.
Unfortunately, Klinsmann has selected the wrong players frequently, and he’s displayed tactical naivety in his time with US MNT.
Midfielder Michael Bradley is continuously deployed as an attacking midfielder when it’s evident he plays better when positioned deeper in the midfield. In the recent 4-1 defeat against Brazil, Klinsmann played Alejandro Bedoya, a winger, as a defensive midfielder. The experiment failed miserably and left Bedoya looking foolish.
Rather than trying to play a similar XI to the one he’d play against Mexico, Klinsmann used the recent friendlies to leave Bedoya out to dry and rotated his back four instead of letting the four guys he played Saturday develop any cohesion.
With all the experimentation Klinsmann has done, he’s continued to ignore Sporting KC midfielder Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber is in excellent form and could provide the team with a spark. However, Klinsmann seems uninterested in calling him up.
Klinsmann is constantly tinkering, and there’s never any continuity. Tweaking the lineup can be a good thing, but it seems like Klinsmann has yet to figure out the appropriate time and the correct way to do it.
The USMNT is losing important games, and it doesn’t look good doing so. It’s time for a change. If that change isn’t imminent, Klinsmann better find the plot quickly.
Jack Woods is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Ruston, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Jack_TDR.