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Klinsmann talks start of HEX round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7APlBBHi-EA]

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  1. The disrespect that American soccer fans have for Klinsmann helps to highlight our lack of education as a footballing country.

    Did you all forget when Germany hosted the world cup and their team, that the whole country had given up on, actually finished third place in the tournament? That team was coached by Klinsmann. Do you remember when germany won the world cup in 1990 and the EURO in in 96? Klinsmann played for those german teams.

    The reality is that Klinsmann has gone to depths as both a coach and player that no American has even come close to in soccer.

    We cannot turn into the same soccer culture that has been created in England where its all panic and no patience. The guy got us through his first year in charge with the best record in US Soccer history and he did it without US Soccers greatest goal scorer. Time to turn the heat down and see how he fares in round two.

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    • Klinsman was a good striker. I will grant you that. But the verdict on his coaching ability has yet to be reached. He lasted less than a season at Bayern and semed confused most of the time. He barely got us through the first stage of qualifying and the friendly wins against Italy and Mexico, though impressive, are meaningless. As for the 2006 German World Cup team, you could have put Billy Bob Thornton’s character from Sling Blade in charge of that team the day before the tournament started and they still would have made the Quarters.

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    • Nice post. Recognizing that no coach is perfect, it seems to me that the Klinsmann detractors are a vocal minority.

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    • The double standard and blind love for anything Klinnsman is what really shows the lack of soccer education in this country.

      Are fans not allowed to question what klinnsman says anymore? Does it hurt the messiah of american soccer’s feelings? The only disrespect being shown is JK belittleing previous coaches for their tactics and promising attacking soccer only to start 3 DM’s and williams on the wing. Am I not allowed to question JK’s plan when he comes in claiming to build a system only to flip flop formations every game? Is it against the rules to question his coaching abilities and tactics when JK honestly thought it would be a good idea to start Torres at LB and Williams at RM? Am I not allowed to question JK’s player management ability when hes alienated our best striker and has one of our best players on the brink of
      retirement?

      No I did not forget Klinnsman’s past but this isnt Germany. US Soccer is paying JK to take the US to the next level and frankly im not convinced he can do it. All we have seen is more of same at an increased cost. Congrats to JK for winning friendlies but when the games counted the team looked unorganized and lethargic and we barely qualified for the next round. While you may think JK is an accomplished coach many, including past players that questioned his methods publically, do not. Be my guess if youre comfortable with JK spending valuable resources for worthless motivational speakers but I reserve my right to question what JK is doing

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      • There’s no blind love for anything Klinsy. And I agree, it’s fine to question and critique. I like a lot of what I see from Klinsmann and he’s earned at least some trust through his accomplishments as a player and coach. The primary goal (although there are other, secondary ones) is to qualify for Brazil and then advance through the knockout rounds in WC 2014. For those who rant and who are highly critical of Klinsmann, I think it is undeserved given his results thus far. I appreciated FCA’s post insofar as it supports my perspective that Klinsmann deserves a long look and some patience. I would like this perspective to be heard as clearly as the voices from the reactionary minority.

      • there are several things to address here:

        1. YOUR attack on Klinsmann for HIS attack on previous coaches — I certaintly hopes Klinsmann, or whoever the current coach may be in the future, hopes the way they do things is the better than anyone else in the world. If he knew a better way, thats probably the way he would do it right?

        2. Questioning of his system and player management abilities — These things tie in together. Not only was last year a record year in terms of winning percentage, but also in terms of depth of player pool. Klinsmann enlisted more players into the pool and, even more important, more players into games than we have seen in a long time. His growth of the player pool found guys like Zusi who are now looking good for the 2014 roster. This enlarged player pool though also means that a variety of players and a variety of systems of play. Sometimes as a coach you are trying to isolate certain things on the field for matchup/developmental purposes. Bottom line is, he has actually managed this quite well

        3. Alienation of Jozy Altidore – Since Klinsmann has taken over his “alienation” has seen Jozy have one record goal scoring season and now again on pace for a record year. oh yea, and he is in camp with the team and expected to start the next game. on second thought, he seems included to me.

      • ahahahahah and here it is. Klinsmann improved the player pool? What? Are you sure it wasnt the fact that we have more and more players playing at high levels and that MLS continues to improve? Klinnsman found the assist leader and one of the best players in MLS???? No i see my mistake, Klinsmann calling in a varity of players, most already known commodities, for a couple days out of the year has taken US Soccer to the next level.

        Thank the soccer gods that JK was able to use his connections to spur Jozy to greatness im sure it has nothing to do with Jozy playing for a coach with a competent system and a team that can move the ball around. If Bob Bradley was able to get an out of form Jozy to lead the WCQ in goals i cant wait to see what JK is able to do. Wait?? Jozy’s club form hasnt translated to the US and we continue to lack an attack and struggle to score goals. Then JK deserves equal blame for Jozy’s international struggles when hes responsible for Jozy’s cub form right???? While your at it why not commend JK for Bradley’s improved form and why stop there when we all know without Klinnsman the magic wizard, Brek Shea would have never healed in time to make the stoke city move. Its too bad Bob Bradley had to hurt stuart holden or this team would be unbeatable.

        The fact that you attribute every little thing that has been good for US Soccer to JK is laughable. Does that mean he was also responsible for the Olympic and U-20 disasters. No you say? Oh the irony.

      • All I know is Klinsmann benched Oliver Kahn, because of something he said about how Kahn took too much of the cake’s energy. They did finish third, in a World Cup they hosted, and the only reason that exceeded expectations was because under Klinsmann expectations plummeted so much. He nearly was fired before the World Cup.

        At Bayern, he didn’t make it through a season.

        Not dumping on the coach, but his coaching background is a mixed bag.

        Agree completely we shouldn’t be all impatient for results immediately. No question there. Unlike England, we don’t have any claim on reasonably expecting those results. But I also see oddities here, like everyone. There is a certain uneasiness that he will out-think himself with these player selections, and then with the tactics. He never seems to hit it just right – either ignores tactics completely, or goes too sophisticated for the occassion.

        I don’t know. What I see here is a lack of speed at wings, when speed was available (granted in players who probably would be better coming in as second half subs right now in their development). I also see some question over who the playmaker is supposed to be. For that matter, who anyone is supposed to be.

        Here we are, days away from the hex. Does anyone really have a solid idea of who will play where (forward of the backline)? Not an idea of who they think ought to be where, but who will actually play where.

        Bradley, Dempsey, Jones – where are those guys playing and what will be their responsibilities? Who will be the midfielders and forwards around them? Do the players know yet?

        We can sort of guess that Zusi is RW, but beyond that it’s all a mystery, and it just seems late in the game for this to still be such a mysterious puzzle.

      • Probably, but if the grand strategy is to remain such a jumbled mess that no one can figure us out, I think the other five in the hex would take that.

      • @Chris: Excellent commentary, especially your first opus. I don’t agree with everything you are saying, but big chunks of it and I most certainly agree that it is a USMNT fan’s unalienable right to question Jurgen Klinsmann.

  2. Bradley mumbled a few platitudes. Klinsman doesn’t take one breath while he talks for ten minutes non stop with 2 minutes of content.

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    • so you were there live for the interviews and saw how long each of them talked? or did the guy in the editing room have something to do with the length of the interviews we saw from them.

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  3. Because the game is on beIN (and not ESPN or Fox Soccer – which are the only channels available on my cable), I’m being forced, forced to head over to the soccer pub to watch the game. Sigh! (sarcasm intended).

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    • Where in SoCal can I find this soccer pub? I live in Orange County and the closest thing are the Olde Ships in Santa Ana and Fullerton.

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      • There are a couple on the Westside I could suggest but I’ll be watching BeIn sports on my big screen at home. You’re welcome to come watch the game in Marina Del Rey.

      • Gallagher’s. Not really a soccer pub, but they do show big matches and all USMNT games. I was hoping there was something like Portland’s 442 Soccer Bar and I’d just missed it.

      • No he doesnt. And certainly not when you look at his record in the group stage of CONCACAF WCQ (his only competitive games as coach). He talks about how he wants the US to play this great attacking style where we dictate the play and then he keeps playing 3 def mids, unnecessarily. So his talk is rendered meaningless.

      • Did you notice our back line. Goodson, Boca, Onyewu, Cameron, Edu. I think the last two, especially Cameron have a chance to be good, but when JK took over, not so much. 3 dmids, to protect the defense.

        Sorry, he did have the highest winning percentage of any coach in one year. He won in Italy and at Mexico. Before you wash them away and say only Friendlies, be honest. If the guy you liked had done the same, you would be singing his praises from the roof tops. Beating Italy in Italy is something we have never done. Winning in Azteca is something we have never done. So cut him some slack. they finished with the same amount of points in the last round of qualifying as in Bob’s last time.

        “Those are the facts. And they are undisputed.”

  4. Guess I’m taking off Wednesday England vs Brazil then France vs Germany then then USA vs Honduras then Ireland vs Poland then hope Jamaica can pull out a miracle.

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    • I was shocked to see Beckerman’s name off the list, but I suppose he struggles against faster teams. Edu, for all his faults, is a better athlete and has five games under his belt while Beckerman has one friendly. I’m sure Williams or Jones gets the spot at DM anyway.

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      • Beckerman sucks. He just passes the ball around with no purpose. He was the principle architect of the uninspiring performance against Canada and his dreadlocks were not enough to save him this time.

  5. I live in the US and root for the US. This Wednesday (at my home) I will be able to watch Mexico on ESPN and I will not be able to watch my home country (USA) play an important match. What a shame!

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    • I don’t care what channel it’s on, I’m pissed Fios doesn’t carry it. I’ve complained to them but nothing thus far. Get it together Verizon!!

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      • I agree. I don’t understand why FIOS has not gotten its act together and worked out a deal with the channel that has USMNT road games and the top leagues in Spain, Italy and France.

    • It’s unfortunate more cable providers don’t carry BeIN because it’s a high-quality network. I do think ESPN should have stepped up and purchased the rights to USMNT away games, but they didn’t, and that says something about ESPN’s commitment to US soccer.

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      • Actually, I’d prefer if less providers would carry it. Directv dropped GolTV soon after adding BeIN–as a Bundesliga fan I’m furious and have since cancelled my SportsPack subscription.

      • Wrong, Directv hasn’t dropped GOL tv. I have it. GOL tv is now in the Spanish lineup. The only negative side is that is no longer in HD 🙁

      • Or fan commitment to the US. If the fans don’t show up to watch the games, there is no incentive for ESPN to spend money. It’s like someone complaining that they don’t show the international bowling championships. If no one is watching, why should it matter?

        ESPN’s two benefits are A. availability – everyone has it and B. they spend money on marketing their programming.

      • ESPN has always treated soccer with relative disdain. It’s true it’s the most ubiquitous sports channel, but what good is that fat marketing budget when so little goes to promoting soccer?

    • Anyone know if there will be a means to watch an archived or recorded version of the game via internet? I am in Canada, and really want to see my favorite team USMNT play. However, I have to work, and it is not being televised here, so I can’t PVR it and I can’t watch it live on the internet. I am hoping someone knows if there is a website, accessible from Canada, where I can find a recording of the game. I guess US Soccer doesn’t do this?

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  6. Well Klinsy, you have talked a lot, certainly a lot more than your predecessor. Now for the love of god, please get us to Brazil.

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