United States exits World Cup - head high, but Jurgen has some questions to answer

In the last game to determine the last spot in the 1/4 finals, the United States, dominated for almost the full 120 minutes of the game, almost pulled off the upset. The USMNT depart Brazil with heads held high, but there are some questions Jurgen needs to answer.

First the United States fought a valiant game against dark horse team for the World Cup - Belgium. Hazard, De Bruyne, Origi, Fellaini and the rest of Les Diables Rouge could not break the stone wall that was Howard has been throughout this entire tournament. Other than time of possession, which I am surprised that the United States owned - 54% to 46% - the other statistics were ridiculously one sided:

• Shots
• 39 for Belgium...WHAT??? 
• 17 for the United States
• Shots on frame
• 17 for Belgium. Ridiculous number, ESPN puts the number at 27...not sure about how they arrive at that figure.
• 5 for the United States
• Corners
• 19 for Belgium...again...WHAT???
• 4 for the United States

Completely one sided numbers which highlighted the domination by Belgium and the absolute huge game that Tim Howard played in goal. By far the man of the match, no d'uh. The Everton keeper was always well positioned, made the key saves he had to and I am sure crawled into the heads of the opposing players. Howard, like Ochoa for Mexico, demonstrated how far a nation can go if they have a world class keeper. However, like Ochoa, this game demonstrated you cannot win with only a world class keeper.

Other than Howard, I was impressed by Yedlin. The pacey right back did not look out of place at all. He used his speed well to slow down Hazard and was not afraid to push up the pitch and leverage that same pace to create real problems for the Belgian defense. Not that you would build around your right fullback, but he has real potential for the United States

Standing on his head...

and will bring an element you must have in today's game - offense from your fullbacks.

However, when it comes to Jurgen I think there remain some questions:

• Why did he insist on playing Bradley out of position? To me Bradley had a disaster of a tournament. Yes he had a sumptuous pass to Green that cut the deficit to 1 goal late in extra time. But other than that...what did he do? This game and all tournament? I felt as if he was constantly out muscled against Belgium. He had trouble making the right pass. And was not strong defensively. I think the consensus, rightfully so, was that he was one if not the best outfield player the US had heading into the tournament. ESPN kept saying that Klinsmann was playing him higher because they had no options for that spot. Hmmm. Maybe Jurgen should have selected a player(s) to play that role and allow Bradley to slot back in his preferred spot. Maybe Bradley would still have failed to impress, but at least he would have been playing where he is accustom to slotting and put in a position to succeed.
• Speaking of selecting players...I realize this story has long been forgotten, sort of, but I need to bring it up - wouldn't Donovan have been a viable option? Once Altidore went down with his hamstring...that ESPN kept telling us was "getting better" ... it became clear that the roster did not have someone to fill that void. So Klinsmann was forced to shake up his line up and force Dempsey to the center of the formation. Much like with Bradley, putting a player in a suboptimal role. To me this was due in large part because Klinsmann did not make the right choices for his roster. By no means do I think Landycakes would have been the panacea. But having a player of Donovan's experience and skill could very well have a difference maker. I can think of 2 occasions where Landycakes makes a difference. Late on against Portugal, insert him up front and he might have the savvy-ness to hold up the ball in the Portuguese end late on and maybe Ronaldo never sees the ball again. The second situation - today against Belgium. He puts away the ball late in the game that Wondolowski somehow...somehow missed. And he missed BADLY.  One thing I will give Donovan credit - he doesn't wiff when he has the opportunity to score big goals. Donovan could also have given Klinsmann an option to slot up front with Altidore out...allowing Dempsey to play a deeper and wider role. Food for thought.

I realize that Klinsmann is safe for another 4 years. Unlike European coaches he does not have to deal with the European Championship, so Jurgen has 4 years to work. However he should receive some criticism. He will surely receive heaps of praise, which he has earned, but there also needs some reflection on what could have been.

Congratulations to the USMNT, they went further than most pundits thought they could (except for this one!), but might have fallen a little short because of their coaches' arrogance. 

Biggest match in US history to be played today...

Okay okay, that was a little bit of a sensationalist headline. This might be the biggest hyped game for the US mens' national footy team. I certainly do not diminish the importance of this match. When the draw first came out this group was widely seen as one of the leading candidates for the moniker "group of death." Deservedly so. After a stunning first match win versus Ghana and maybe an as stunning draw against Portugal, the US sits in a position

What do I do during the anthems??

otherwise only reserved for dreamers - one foot into the knock out round. However, all the hype surrounding this game is a tad overblown. Why? The US has over a 75% of qualifying. Those are pretty good odds. This is not a "do or die" game that the US media would like to hype it up to be. Even with a loss the US could still go through. A draw or win guarantees the US goes to the knock outs.

Of course there are some interesting undertones - Low used to work for Klinsmann....when Klinsmann managed the German national team. We all know that Klinsmann is...German. The number of US/German players that play for the United States. Yes these are good story lines. But they are just that...stories to hype up an otherwise simple game. Draw and move on. Add to this the fact that the Ghanaian camp is starting to resemble France 2010! The Portugal v Ghana game might not even be played with both teams pouting!

This all makes a good story line. This game is key for another reason - an opportunity for the US to see how they stack up against a world power on the biggest stage - but not really for qualification. Or might I be proven wrong??

I see a cautious game between both sides.

1-1 draw. Goals from Klose and Dempsey (Again).

Insight in to Klinsmann thinking - reinforces theory into why Landycakes not going to Brazil

A great article on Klinsmann in today's New York Times - click here. Some very interesting looks into the mindset of the German. Lots of which reinforces many of the theories behind why the likes of Landycakes is not on the roster.

The main undertone of the story is that Klinsmann realizes that there is not enough pure home grown talent and that Europe is where his gaze is to attract talent. To me it feels very much like national teams from Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco who focus on French players with linkages to North Africa. A source for Klinsmann's admiration for the European based players is they face better competition year round, and he makes no secret his looking down on both the NCAA and the MLS.

" Put simply, Klinsmann would like to see his players carry themselves like their European counterparts — the way he used to."

This adds to the fuel to the "Landycakes stay home" fire. Dononvan has never been

No fan of the German running USMNT

accused of carrying himself like a European player. His failures in Europe are well documented. And clearly Klinsmann does not look kindly on that aspect of Donovan's game or mental make up. Sabbatical, unheard of for European counterparts. Klinsmann further pushes this thinking:

If Klinsmann had his way, the United States roster would be made up of Americans playing their club soccer in Europe, facing the best competition in the world on a daily basis instead of only a few games every few years.

“The more players we can get playing at the top levels over there, the better it will be,” he told me. “That is one sign of progress.”

Interesting. Makes you wonder why the likes of Bradley and Dempsey came back the MLS, I am sure that both those moves put a real burr in Klinsmann's saddle.  

The other point I took out of the article is the power which Klinsmann holds over US Soccer. It is interesting that the article makes a point that the German did not tell anyone prior that he was not going to take Donovan. And that had some serious commercial implications as US Soccer was already lining up marketing efforts around the US star leading up to the World Cup. Ooops. From that stand point I agree with Klinsmann. This is not about some marketing campaign or how many tshirts US Soccer and Nike can sell.

Finally, even though Klinsmann announced that the US was not going to win the World Cup (I realize most would agree with that statement, but for the head coach to come out and be so blunt...) and that he has a contract until the Russian World Cup in 2018, there are no shortage of those ready to pounce if he fails in Brazil. I was surprised at how blunt Bruce Arena was with the approach Klinsmann was taking. The former US Soccer national team manager does not seem to favor looking outside for soccer talent. I would caution Klinsmann that if the US crashes out of the World Cup and looks bad doing so - see what happened in the 1998 World Cup - there might become a situation where enough influential voices force a buy out and change at the head of the team. 

In international soccer one thing is sure, no coach, no matter what their stature or contract are only as good as the last tournament they participate in....well unless you are Domenech.

Well worth reading the article, how do you take the piece?

Did Klinsmann make it personal with Donovan? Maybe...

So the fans of the US Mens National Team (USMNT) have had time to digest that the one mainstay for the US team for the past decade - Landon Donovan - will not be heading to his 4th World Cup. Quite possibly the end of Landycakes' international career as well. There have also been a raft of theories as to why Klinsmann left the LA Galaxy forward off the list. The main ones revolve around the head coach's personal feelings towards the player. I buy into this as a plausible theory. However the more I chew on it, here are some ideas as to why Klinsmann made his choices:

• There is something about Klinsmann having a small ax to grind with Donovan. As has been stated over and over the past few days there seems to be a history between the two men. Landycakes went to Bayern Munich in 2009 and was an abject failure, lasting only 6 games. The manager at the time - Klinsmann. Who was subsequently sacked the following season. I think there is no doubt their personalities were in conflict. Landcakes has always been dogged by the criticism that he is soft and also that he has not pushed himself professionally. Criticisms I fully agree with. It is telling that in the ESPN piece on the US Mens National Team journey to Brazil there is a segment where Klinsmann comes out and stays he is disappointed that Clint Dempsey decided to come back to the MLS. Klinsmann states, and I am paraphrasing, "I would rather have my top players playing in the world's top leagues, and those are in Europe." If the likes of Dempsey were at, say Barcelona, Klinsmann goes on to say, he would feel better knowing the player was training with the likes of Iniesta and Messi and competing against Ronaldo etc. It was not the only time Klinsmann has made his feelings towards Europe vs MLS heard. If Jurgen is critical of a player who went to the EPL and did well for himself at Fulham and Tottenham, how must he feel about Landycakes who left Bayern Leverkusen because it was too cold and he wanted to sit on the beaches of LA? Deep down I feel that Klinsmann questioned Donovan's heart and desire to be a true professional. For this when Jurgen said that Landon was "behind" others in camp, I wonder if he meant Landon's hear and desire weren't up to the level he would expect from a professional.
• It is all about Russia in 4 years stupid. Klinsmann is a unique position as head of a national team. US Soccer decided it was a good idea to extend him for another 4 years...before the tournament even started! Wow. Clearly this is an indication that Klinsmann has the keys to the castle over at US Soccer. Reality is, the US federation is too nervous to risk losing the highest profile manager they have had...ever. Most likely they question whether they would be able to attract another such high profiled manager. With this in the back of his mind, Klinsmann most likely feels empowered to do as he pleases. That means a 4 year vision. Add to this that the US face a "group of death" in Brazil - facing Ghana, Portugal and Germany. Is Klinsmann looking at Brazil as a dry run for Russia 2018? Seems that way. Why leave a veteran player like Donovan at home, coupled with three untested young players - Green, Brooks and Yedlin? A player like Green has bags of potential...but plays in the 4th division in Germany and has not played more than 40 minutes for Bayern Munich! For most other national teams this would be a player who would showcase at the Toulon Tournament for U20...not the World Cup. A player that you would allow to work his way up the youth national teams...not give him a precious roster spot on your World Cup squad. Unless you viewed this World Cup as preparation for 2018. There seems to be an ulterior motive as well - Klinsmann is showing other dual nationality players that they have a fast track to the World Cup with the United States. Green was a prospect for the German federation, but he faced much sterner competition and a longer path to the World Cup. With the US, he could find his way to 2, 3 or even 4 World Cups. Add to that the fact the US play in the CONCACAF and basically ensures World Cup qualification, and you have an attractive recipes for dual nationality players who are on the fringe of another higher quality national team. Of course if Green played for Germany he would also have the European Cup to play for...

Klinsmann is taking a big chance with his roster for Brazil, he is going with some youth, maybe too much. He has cleaned house and has only kept 6 players from the 2010 World Cup. He has left off the most decorated national team player of all time - Donovan. He has taken on a 18 year old US-German national, with little experience. In a few weeks we will know whether his gamble pays off or whether or not he was really looking out 4 years.

I do think that Klinsmann, as others have argued, rid himself of his personal headache. But I am not sure that the collective team will be better without their MLS superstar.

No sacred cows for Klinsmann - Donovan left off World Cup roster

A bit of a shocker from the US Men's National Football team - Landon Donovan will not go to his 4th World Cup. There had been some rumblings that the face of US Soccer might not be a guarantee to head to Brazil. Donovan had been struggling with some injuries and if anyone watched the ESPN expose on the national side there was some interesting statements from the player himself saying his body just wasn't able to keep up. But it is still a gutsy call from Klinsmann.

You mean to tell me that the US could not use a player of Donovan's World Cup experience to potentially come off the bench late in a game to chase a goal? Landycakes is clearly not the player he once was, and granted this blogger never thought he was that great a player then either, but he does bring some qualities to the side. US soccer fans all remember the goal he scored 4 years ago against Algeria to send the US through to the knock out stages.



Landycakes can probably not be count on for the full 90 minutes anymore. But leaving experienced strikers such as Eddie Johnson and Donovan off the roster, Klinsmann is banking that some of his less experienced players can make up for the loss in veteran leadership. With one of the most difficult groups of the World Cup - Ghana, Portugal and Germany - it seems a mistake to leave someone of the experience of Landycakes at home. Granted Klinsmann still has players such as Howard, Dempsey and Bradley he can turn to, but would have been good to have someone of the stature of Donovan as well - and a player that can come in late on to chase a goal! I just cannot imagine that there was not a role for this veteran on the roster. Coming from someone like me, who has been very critical of Donovan, says something!

EXTRA EXTRA...The US wins the Gold Cup!!! Hohummm

So the US mens national soccer team won their 5th Gold Cup title yesterday, defeating surprise finalist Panama, 1-0. When is the ticker tape parade? Cover of the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and Time? Okay Okay, I am being a tad harsh. Yes I am a total Euro-snob when it comes to football. I always giggle when I hear the World Cup being called the European Cup, but with Argentina and Brazil. Of course I am also not as football ignorant as I just came across. The international game has benefit with the rise of African nations, such as Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon to name a few. As well as the rise of Asian powers such as South Korea, Japan and Australia. And, the game has benefited from seeing the richest country in the world - the United States - start to put a solid side out for World Cups and other international matches. We should also start seeing nations such as Iraq making more noise in international venues. All this is good for the international game. But back to the Gold Cup.

Reason why I am saying hohummm...is that it has become clear that nations like the United States and Mexico have outgrown the Gold Cup. And really have outgrown the CONCACAF. That is my real ramble. I have written about this before, but after this Gold Cup finals it only reinforces my thinking about the US and Mexico being part of the Gold Cup. I realize that you play the conference you are in. But look to the example of Australia, who realized they had outgrown the Oceania region and moved into Asia. Australia was finding some success in football, getting to World Cups and having aspirations of getting beyond the group stages. However, the nation recognized that only in getting a more challenging region could they grow as a team that could do better at the World Cup.

Could the US and Mexico benefit from changing regions...say join CONEMBOL region.

Think about the celebration after beating Brazil!

Okay okay, I know what fans of the US and Mexico will say...why head to tough region when they are quasi guaranteed a spot at the World Cup by staying with CONCACAF! I mean seriously...the top three nations make it and the fourth plays the first place team from Oceania! But think about the following, how much better for the overall US and Mexican teams being forced to play high pressure games against Brazil or Argentina...going to Uruguay would be better than a match in Jamaica! I know that the US plays some intense games like away to Guatemala, but not sure that is as intense as away to the South American nations. Granted the US and Mexico would not longer be guaranteed a spot at the World Cup, but cutting their teeth on these matches would better in the long run. Of course FIFA would have to redistribute the qualifying spots between CONEMBOL and CONCACAF.

Finally, imagine the benefit for the US and Mexico to play regularly in the Copa America rather than the Gold Cup! Having to play tournaments with the likes of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile etc rather than Panama and Costa Rica will be a much greater challenge.

I know you have to play the regional tournaments you find yourself in and a title is a title...crap if Les Bleus could win a trophy on a regular basis I would be happy! Well we did win the U20 World Cup!! But for the United States and Mexico to real grow as national teams they need to test themselves with a real qualifying campaign. It will probably never happen...but something that would be great to see. Think about the excitement of hosting Brazil in Columbus for a World Cup qualifier, or seeing Messi and Argentina coming to New York for a qualifier!

OH MY ..... you will not believe what came out of Domenech's mouth

I read this little sound bite from my favorite former French national team manager...click here. For those that cannot read French what Dumenech basically said:

He would love to go on and manage the USMNT. That they always get to the World Cup, they only have two "real" games versus Mexico. You get to visit some nice warm islands. And in the end no one really cares...

I cannot believe that he would believe ANYONE would give him another job to run a national team. At least not a nation that is half decent. Although I would laugh if he came to run the USMNT, after all the grief I took from my American soccer fans during Domenech's reign of terror...