Jurgen Klinsmann’s performance as US men’s national team head coach is once again under the microscope.
This comes after the Yanks’ 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign resumed with an embarrassing 2-0 road defeat to Guatemala on Friday. The result snapped a 21-match unbeaten streak for the US in the series and was their first loss to Los Chapines since 1988.
Never before had the Red, White and Blue failed to obtain points against Guatemala in World Cup qualifying. And Friday night’s encounter marked the 13th time the two teams have faced off in the format dating back to 1990. The previous 12 games saw the US win seven and draw five.
Frustration with Klinsmann Growing After Debacle in Guatemala
So it’s no surprise that the oscillating levels of confidence in Klinsmann’s leadership have trended downward in the immediate aftermath of Friday’s debacle. There’s no doubt that playing meaningful games in Central America has always been difficult. But what transpired in Guatemala City was beyond the pale of acceptable. And it’s why many fans were laying a lot of blame at Klinsmann’s feet when the final whistle was blown.
The frustration level was clearly palpable on social media after the game. Whether it was Twitter, Facebook, discussion groups, etc., people wanted to vent. And more often than not, it was Klinsmann who was in the crosshairs.
If we look at the standings in Group C of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying semifinal round, we can see why a small semblance of panic is starting to set in. With three games remaining, the US are currently third with four points. Trinidad and Tobago lead the group with seven points after a 3-2 win on the road against St. Vincent and the Grenadines. And Guatemala are second with four points after the unlikely triumph that is the source of so much angst.
Only the top two make it to the six team final round of CONCACAF qualifying known as the Hexagonal. And the current situation has some people surmising the unthinkable. Could the USMNT’s push towards Russia 2018 come to an historic screeching halt without them even making the final six of the region?
The drive to turn things around begins Tuesday night in Columbus, OH at MAPFRE Stadium. There, the US will face this same Guatemala team that upset them on Friday. Certainly the opportunity for redemption as well as getting this qualifying campaign back on the right track is there for the taking.
And Central Ohio has been mighty kind to the Yanks. Most of us are familiar with the four “Dos A Cero” World Cup qualifying wins over Mexico there. But it should also be noted that the USMNT has never lost a game to any opponent in Columbus and they’re 6-0-2 in qualifiers for the World Cup. If anything, history is on their side to get the full three points.
But regardless of the result, questions will continue to surround Klinsmann’s leadership of the program. This is especially true considering the whirlwind nine months the team has had. It began with a horrific Gold Cup that saw the US finish fourth. They were expected to finish no worse than second. Then they blew a chance at representing the region in the 2017 Confederations Cup by falling 3-2 to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup last October.
It’s how the team performs in big events like those that truly show if they’re progressing or regressing. And it can’t be doubted that the results haven’t been pretty. Even the decade and a half of relative success the US has enjoyed over Mexico appears to be on the cusp of receding. All of this has occurred under Klinsmann’s watch.
From an on-field standpoint, there have been two key criticisms of the Klinsmann tenure. One is the use of players in roles they’re not necessarily accustomed to. The other is the continued lack of continuity in the lineup. Both come under the term “experimenting” which has tended to earn a negative connotation when used in describing his game-by-game tactical strategy.
The most prominent example of putting a player in an unfamiliar role came in a September 8th friendly against Brazil. It had to have come with a fair amount of gasps from onlookers when they viewed the starting lineup before kickoff and saw Alejandro Bedoya in a double pivot defensive midfield with Jermaine Jones in a 4-2-3-1. Bedoya’s primary use for his club team Nantes has been in an attacking midfield role. So it wasn’t much of a shocker when he was subbed off 36 minutes in after proving ineffective.
When it comes to lineup continuity issues, get this. Since the start of last year’s Gold Cup, the US has played a total of 15 matches. Want to know how many center back pairings Klinsmann has trotted out in that time? Ten. Even barring injuries and overlap amongst call-ups for friendlies, that seems a bit much. And when it comes to central defenders, communication combined with chemistry equals competence. It’s hard to get that when shuffling players in and out of the starting 11.
Just look at the defending MLS Cup Champion Portland Timbers. Their two primary center backs, Nat Borchers and Liam Ridgewell, started 28 of the club’s 34 regular season games together. Their solidity at the back played a major role in the club’s success last season.
And despite their defensive struggles in 2015, the club who calls MAPFRE Stadium home, Columbus Crew SC, was the hallmark of continuity. Head coach Gregg Berhalter rarely strayed away from his 4-2-3-1 formation. And for the most part, it was the same cast of characters working within it that led the team all the way to MLS Cup.
Friday’s lackluster and disjointed outing in Guatemala City certainly has the fanbase up in arms. Many are trying to pinpoint the source of the Stars and Stripes’ recent struggles. Is the trend towards USMNT players moving to MLS to blame? Is the team in need of an infusion of younger talent? Have some of the smaller CONCACAF nations caught up? Or is this something more systemic and related to the current leadership of the program?
Regardless, Tuesday night in Columbus just got all the more intriguing. The Yanks need three points and no less in the worst way. The fortress that MAPFRE Stadium has been to the US all these years will need to be so more than ever.
And the outcome of the game may yet serve to determine the fate of the team’s qualification prospects for the 2018 World Cup. Not to mention that of its head coach.
