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Klinsmann discusses USMNT World Cup draw

JurgenKlinsmannUSMNTWorldCupDraw1 (AP)

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  1. I know this has been said before, but we play so much better as underdogs and with a chip on our shoulder… it seems to focus us better and make us play tighter defense and take advantage of our limited opportunities… and it puts pressure on the “favorite” to break us down and score the goals…

    even if we go crashing out of the group stage w/ zero points… they will be hard fought matches that were total fun to watch…and I’d much rather get knocked out of the group of death than under perform in an easy group and go home ashamed…

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  2. The guy who used that term has already accepted his blunder n put all the blame on his Mac so who are u fools to defend the indefensible? Listen fellas, no matter what anyone says over here, my understanding of that despicable statement stills stands n non of u fools and pretenders can change my mind about!! If someone used the term monkey on black African nation like ghana because of a mere football, then that person doesn’t really knows what time its!! He is simply a racist fool and if he thinks he is Portuguese american or whatever, then he is more a f…..king fool!! Portuguese american my a.s.s!! It could have been better if he consider himself a Portuguese rather than an American!! Besides his English sucks too!! Besides whether is a metaphor,pun or whatever figure of speech or literate device, I don’t care because his whole write up is total hogwash!! Again, readers has their own opinion about what they read and I still insists that he used that figurative expression racial and am not surprised american forumites over here are supporting him because I would have been surprised if its the other way round!!!

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    • Jesus people, it was a mistake.

      I was sick, a little drunk and letting my Mac doing my spelling correction.

      For the record: I meant to write PSYCHOLOGICALLY.

      Why would I insult him and then do on to defend him as a player and praise him? That makes no sense.

      I get why it might offended but the explanation was given.

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  3. Listen u are a coward and it clearly shows in your write-ups!! U could have made your point without referring to ghana as monkeys and what were u trying to imply or achieved by using that word? This is the same monkeys that has been beaten your so called USMT on two occasions at the highest level of fooball which is the worldcup!!! And don’t be surprise if ghana beats them for the third time and for me personally it doesn’t mean the USA is a bad team but rather ghana takes their football more seriously than the states!!! For your info, a lot of Ghanaians admire the states a lot and sometimes wonder why the USA is not a superpower in football or soccer and u hit below the belt by calling or referring to us as monkeys!! U are a loser bro and next time use your small brains to think before u write and moreover don’t waste the small brains left!! U are a big american fool!!!

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    • Don’t be ridiculous. It looks like you as the foolish one here. It is obvious you don’t understand the expression. Look it up. It has nothing to do with race. This is true ignorance on your part. The guy used it correctly and without any negative implications.

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    • Selfmade….”Get the monkey off our back” is a widely used expression that refers to getting over an obstacle that has hindered one on previous occasions.

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      • Fair enough. But you can’t say w/ certainty that it was meant or used in a derogatory manner. No need to label ppl as rasicist.

      • Fair enough to you, too. In my own defense, however, I didn’t call him a racist; I said the phrase, at worst, could be considered racist. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to use it in a racist way, but the context he chose to use it in left him open to be misunderstood, and he was. That, and the fact that the rest of the message was so garbled, it was easy to poke fun at.

        I think it’s ironic that I was also misunderstood. My original answer pretended to take Usaalltheway’s post literally because I thought the combination of his word choice mistakes with the timeworn cliche was funny. Understandable, yes, but funny, too. I had no idea he was too ill to write what he meant to write.

        I offended him by my response because he thought I was calling his girlfriend a monkey (Selfmade did call his girlfriend a monkey, not me, but I was lumped in with selfmade’s response).

        What I was really trying to do was give usaalltheway the benefit of the doubt by creating what I mistakenly thought was a funny image: a real howler monkey actually on the back of the American team, all hairy and loud and mean spirited, and I thought THAT situation would be uncomfortable for the American team.

        Word choice matters, even in a blog.

      • People! Stop turning every innocuous, age-old, commonplace colloquialism into a war of words over political correctness!

        There are many reasons why racism still thrives in this country, but one of them is because these people who are supposedly endeavoring to end racism won’t let it die. Quit turning so many totally non-racist or racial happenings into perceived prejudicial slights. You’re not helping your cause by calling attention to each innocent remark that happens to annoy you and probably only you and screaming, “RACISM, RACISM, RACISM!”

        Lighten up, everyone.

      • +1

        This remains me a lot of Speedy Gonzales. Mexicans find him absolutely hilarious while most Americans find it “insensitive” and “offensive”.

        Quit being offended for other people.

        If you didn’t like something I wrote, just tell me. I don’t write on here to argue or fight with anyone. You can tell by the vast majority of my posts. I am respectful and curious of other people’s thoughts, perspectives and ideas regarding football.

        This is just too much.

        This is most definitely one of the reason our country is going to hell. PC hyper-sensitivity and mis-reading and misconstruing EVERYTHING anyone says at anytime to turn yourself into the “good guy”.

        Get over yourself already!

        Next time, just talk to me about it directly. We are adults and can act like it.

        Peace to you all.

      • Honestly, I didn’t even see the racist implications until now.

        So that guy is angry about my use of the expression, “get that monkey off our back”?

        Wow. Simply wow.

        I am sending that dude some light and love and a big hug. He clearly needs it.

      • Jesus, there certainly many overly sensitive people on this site.

        I didn’t mean to offend anyone, let alone Jozy who have admire greatly as a player.

        I explained the mistake. Enough is enough.

      • Jesus, there certainly many overly sensitive people on this site.

        I didn’t mean to offend anyone, let alone Jozy who I admire greatly as a player.

        I explained the mistake. Enough is enough.

      • Well, I, for one, am thoroughly chastened. This just goes to show how difficult intelligent conversation is on a blog, even one as good as Ives. I completely missed your Portuguese joke because I was too focused on my own lame attempts at humor. Sorry about that. Then I got irritated because my own post was misunderstood (which was completely my fault for not writing clearly). Oh, well.

        I brought this whole thing up in my English class today as an example of the limits and dangers of words and phrases, and how misunderstood people can feel. When I asked my students how to interpret “get that monkey off our back, the responses were even more diverse than what we’ve seen here. Many of the kids had never even heard the phrase before, let alone understood what it was supposed to mean. One kid even asked if it was like getting something off your chest.

        Sorry if I offended you, but this has been an interesting thread, even without our exchanges. That earlier sequence about left wing and right wing soccer fans was fascinating.

        You clearly know a lot more than I do about soccer. I am excited about next summer, too, but I wouldn’t be able to clearly explain why Altidore or Johansson would be better options at striker (for example). It’s obvious you watch a lot of soccer and think about it a lot.

        Cheers.

      • I think you are being sincere…or maybe not. It’s hard to tell.

        I am going assume the former.

        I too would prefer the peace between everyone. I still can’t believe this got to where it is.

        The Internet…it’s use for evil has gotten out of control.

        cheers

  4. We could get 9, we could get 0. But if we go in there thinking we’ve already lost we might as well just stay home and let someone else take our place. Our fans make me sick.

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    • Even if we just draw the first two we still have a chance of going through. If Germany plays the way everyone thinks they, we could go into the final match day with Germany on 6 points the US 2, Ghana 1, Portugal 1. Then Germany could very well rest players giving us a better shot. Lets just say Ghana and Portugal are pretty evenly matched and finish with a draw. In this scenario even if just don’t loose to Germany by as much Ghana and Portugal do we could even go through on 2 points.
      It wouldn’t be pretty but really there’s so many different ways things could play out you have to go an see what happens. Either way it’ll be entertaining.

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    • Haha!! Our fans make me sick…..well, glad to know. People who make sweeping generalizations and represent the LCD part of society make me sick. Move on, son.

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    • Well, he did write “physiologically.” Maybe it’s a real monkey? An Amazonian Howler? I’ve gotta think that would be really uncomfortable.

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      • Yeah, I wrote it incorrectly. That is what happens when you are sick and feeling bad and depending on your Mac Pro Book to correct your mistakes.

        Perhaps you would like it in Portuguese? Or how about Spanish? Porque eu posso escrever em as duas línguas e depois colocar meu pinto em a bunda da sua mãe e sue pãe, más só se você quiser. 😉

        And calling me a “monkey” says nothing about me as a person, but a hell of a lot about you two.

      • Damn it! Two more mistakes…although since you don’t read my second language I doubt you will find them. 🙂

        Still, the offer stands. Would you like that? 😉

        Seriously…who monitors this site??

        The web is so full of hate already, do we really need it here?

      • What is that “hate” of which you speak? I can’t speak for selfmade but let me explain what I’m reacting to:

        a) You call Ghana, an African nation, a “monkey”, showing at best sloppy word choice and at worst blatant racism. Forget the colloquial use of the phrase. It was inappropriate and you should apologize, not us.

        b) simple proofreading would have allowed you to catch your error re: physiological as opposed to psychological. That particular error, which I was only making fun of, is completely your fault. If you can’t take a joke get off the board.

        c) writing in Portuguese is just showing off. Your comments weren’t about Portugal, they were about Ghana. It would have been funny of you to use any one of the following languages: Akuapem Twi, Asante Twi, Mfantse and Nzema, Ewe, Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangme, Ga, Gonja, and Kasem, all of which are government sponsored languages in Ghana. I don’t see Portuguese on that list. It would have even been clever of you to use English, as that is Ghana’s official language.

        Finally, I can see how you might have misunderstood my message. I should have been more clear that I understood your attempt at using a metaphor even though I think you were misguided in doing so. I wasn’t calling you a monkey, nor was I calling your girlfriend a monkey. If you read my post carefully you might see how I was actually trying to, humorously, defend you. My joke failed, and I apologize.

      • I find not apologizing to most on here is a good way to not rattle or antagonize the zoo. Never engage in stupid defenses of obvious humor or sarcasm because at that point you will just become self loathing:-)

      • Jesus, you people are ignorant.

        My Portuguese has NOTHING TO DO WITH Portugal.

        I am half BRAZILIAN. You know, that big country in South America where the World Cup is going to be held?

        That is the language they speak here, in case you didn’t know.

        If you are offended by my abilities to speak and write another language, that is on you. I would suggest you take the time to learn a second one yourself. It would do wonders for your mind.

      • Once again, you are a total moron, Man!!!!!!!! Go jump in a lake you monkey ( other word for clown). You are a teacher? Are you kidding me. Your students don’t even know that expression? What do you teach , preschool? So If I offer you a some chicken, you are going to get mad or if I say “Your son is a nice boy” you are going to get pissed. A teacher, really?

  5. 4 points, 5 goals, and a chance to advance — that’s all I’m asking for this Christmas and next. To humble CR and edge Portugaul to advance in the group would be icing on the cake.

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    • Yeah, but……………….. lets be real…. a man has to pay bills and… these days I can’t even buy gasoline for my car without the pump playing a commercial trying to sell me something while I’m in the act of buying something else.

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  6. I like what I am hearing. Realistic but hopeful.

    From my perspective it is all about being Ghana. Not just for the points but physiologically. We need to get that monkey off our back and get a winning attitude started off. Anything less than a win and the USMNT will not advance.

    The real questions are:
    1) Fullbacks – who will they be?
    2) Bradley and Jones – can they pair well together at the tournament?
    3) Jozy – will he shine and score goals?
    4) Tim Howard – will he save the day for us when needed?

    I can’t wait for this!!! LET’S GO USA!!!!!!

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    • I really think we can get 4 points. We have improved a lot. Much deeper than last time.

      1) who will be the fianlcenter backs? I think cameron, dolos, chandler?, johnson or eric will do fine on the out side. Ineven think Beasler will do well w his speed st center back. It would be nice if he was loaned out to help his experience. Omar scares me some times but has improved. I wish we had one super star at center back to pair up with.
      2. I think Jones steps it up. He loves playing for the US and this is a big stage.
      3. I wonder if we end up w dempsey and the ice man up top. Still better options than last world cup at this time. Dempsey really needs to regain his form and score. I also think Landon steps it up since this will be it for him.
      4. We have the best goalies in the world!

      Love the comments. I live in the south, so this is m outlet!

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      • The only reason Jozy isn’t scoring for Sunderland is because of the people around him. Any given MLS team passes the ball better than Sunderland and has better players than the likes of Bardsley and Colback. When American players decide to go to Europe they really need. To investigate the style of play first.

      • Sunderland still seem stuck in between to styles of playing. The only reason I can see for Larsson being out there is to give service to Fletcher. Its like they can’t decide if they want to be a team that just lumps it forward and hopes to score on a set piece or perhaps try something more attractive. If they want to play alittle more on the ground I’d like to see a front 3 of Giaccherini, Borini and Altidore. However this kind of stuck between gears approach isn’t working at the moment.

      • Agreed 100 percent about Jozy.

        From where I sit, after watching him for four years straight day in and day out, he is world-class. The problem is he doesn’t get the respect he deserves and is therefore always undervalued and under appreciated.

        His first touch has improved tremendously, which is evident in his goal against Chelsea. His passing and link-up play, which have always been solid, are world-class now. His speed and strength are all any coach could ask for.

        HIs downsides are: in the air and his attitude. When he gets frustrated he makes stupid and rash decisions.

        Apart from that, any good team would be blessed to have him. The only problem is he is an American and therefore, in the eyes of the Euro-snobs, is his is unworthy.

        I bet Jozy lights it up this World Cup. I certainly hope so at any rate.

      • Alot of people have bashed Jozy moving to Sunderland but I like that he took on a challenge. The World Cup is going to be frustrating and you aren’t going to get many chances. If he can over come the situation in Sunderland he’ll be all the better for it next summer.

      • I disagree–the reason he had a great run with the US team this summer is that with AZ, he had copious opportunities to get the ball and had tons of chances to practice a good first touch, a good second touch, clear some space for himself and beat the keeper. Even though he got fewer chances with the US team this summer, he was ready when they came. He will actually get more chances with the US team than he gets with Sunderland, a team that is barely outpacing chaos this season. But when he gets his chances with the US team, he is likely to be out of form because at Sunderland, the faucet has been turned off. There is a small chance that could change, but in terms of Brazil, Jozy would’ve been much better off at AZ. Challenge yourself with a move to the EPL? Sure. Challenge yourself by playing for a shitty team? No. Please, no.

      • I’d say you’re being a little too liberal with the “world class” label. If we’re raking players in percentiles where 100 is “regular golden ball winner” level, I would say “world class” covers only the 90+ percentile (and that’s generous). Jozy is more like in the low 80s/high 70s.

        If you surround Jozy with world class players the flaws in his game would stand out more. Up to now hes always been one of the better players on the pitch for his sides, except for at Villarreal and Xerez where he never integrated. Even as a youngin at NYRB you could tell he was going to outgrow that pond.

        I would say that Jozy has world class tools, no doubt, but does not seem to play up to his abilities much of the time. That’s important to me. Lots of players have a good day now and then. But can you take those 1 or 2 half-chances against a Germany or Brazil? That’s what makes a world class player.

        Beyond that, fatigue has always been a problem for him too, and that has seriously affected his ability to become a fixture in leagues where forwards are expected to work off the ball on offense and defense. Hands on hips 30 minutes into a match isn’t what any coach wants to see.

      • You make excellent points.

        I call him “world class” because he has all the tools for it. On top of that, he shows it day in and day out.

        Today for example, he quite literally moved through 7 out of 11 players on the opposing team. They only stopped him because it was 7 on 1. Only Messi can handle those numbers, and not every day.

        His problem is himself. Today for example, you could see it towards the end of the match. He was frustrated and made silly, stupid errors.

        You put him with a great team and his qualities will show though; see AZ.

        In past, I would have given most of his criticisms the benefit of the doubt and I am always the first to say when he has a bad game, see USMNT v Scotland, but now it’s too clear to anyone with half a football brain that he is a great striker.

        Jozy’s goal against Chelsea is the perfect example. He would have never scored that three years ago. It was a perfect turn, on a perfect one touch move with a laser beam finish.

        His abilities are clear. His work rate is clear. His touch, speed, and football brain are sharp. Put him on the right team and he shines.

      • “When American players decide to go to Europe they really need. To investigate the style of play first”

        So you really think Jozy did not investigate Sunderland before signing with them?

        Do you really think he is stupid and a moron?

        Reply

      • He went to DiCanio’s Sunderland, not the current team.

        Jozy did his research. The problem doesn’t lie with him but with Europeans and their bias.

      • I think in his eagerness to get back into the premiere league, he didn’t consider it enough but at the time DiCanio was selling a different vision. I wish he had gone to Serie A instead. You don’t have to be a moron to make mistakes.

      • We are very much on the same page with regards to Serie A.

        They play the exact sort of football that plays to Jozy’s strengths; single-unit mind-ness with a focus on passing, technique and finesse.

        Jozy is a big, strong and speedy striker but his REAL strength lies in his passing, link-up play and teamwork. He works best in pairs and as a member of a full unit, not a target man. AZ showed this.

        I had hopped he would have made the move to Serie A but he is in the EPL now and he has to make due.

  7. Holy $h!t this is going to be fun… can’t wait.

    Looking at the teams going, you knew there would be very few easy passes/some nasty groups and was pretty sure we’d end up in one. As it should be. I admit to being a semi-deluded fan at times, but was never even remotely coming into this WC thinking we were going to win it. More like, enjoying the growth of the game and excited to see our boys challenged and going up against the best, with a chance to take another leap forward and shock some people. Germany, Portugal, Ghana? All nasty, scary opponents in different ways… very fun to watch. What World Cup is all about and if we advance… I can’t lie, I’ll be as sky high as I’ve ever been for US Soccer. That IS an awesome opportunity. Regardless… big screen is going outside, the suds will be free-flowing and the BBQ white-hot with me fully immersed in gluttonous consumption of beer, grilled meat and soccer…

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    • whoop whoop, I hear what you are saying, but dang, didn’t you watch the 1990 world cup and feel the same way about our chances of winning? and if so, what does this opinion of yours really say about the growth of soccer in our country?

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      • One big difference is that the average citizen in the USA actually knows what the World Cup is and will have heard multiple stories about the upcoming US matches between now and the first game. 23.5 years ago, it was hard to find anyone in the US who actually knew who the US would play, that we barely qualified (by beating T&T by a single goal), that there were mostly college players on the US team facing professionals from the other nations, that the US looked pretty over-matched in their qualifying games, or who was the reigning WC champs (Argentina over West Germany in the final after Maradona’s “Hand of God goal” helped Argentina defeat England in the quarterfinals). I am pretty sure a lot more people in the US know about the WC qualifying process now and that the US advanced pretty handily. Those with decent memories probably recall that Spain won the WC in 2010 (and that the US played well enough and were at the very least an exciting team to watch).

        So I would say to the extent that public awareness is an essential part of the growth of soccer in the US that things have come a long way in the last 25 years.

      • dennis, dennis, dennis, I guess before you know it, a quarter century has flown by. I think the point here is that if we are not going to brasil to win, then what is the point of going? I mean really. almost twenty five years later and we are not going to win, at least according to some fans, who might otherwise be convinced that you are delusional.

        on the American landscape is the effort of some young amateur players who went to win an Olympic gold in hockey in 1980, so im not sure what everyones point is, or even mine, but I expect my nation to go into every event it enters with the idea of winning it.

        I believe that many of our soccer fans in this country are left leaning liberals, who don’t believe in faith as much as the people on the right. its holding us back as a soccer nation. and maybe the people on the right, who have faith, they also have some great indifference to the sport.

        sometimes I think the people on the left are happy not to have the people on the right, because it makes the club more exclusive that way. and someone in this country who does not know anything about the sport is probably going to be condescending towards it, as are the people who think they might know, and are trying to preach its virtues. its a vicious cycle.

        I don’t know, I think we are going to win the world cup this summer, especially if we get out of the group stages. its fair to say also, that I thought we would win the world cup back in 1990, and that we would bounce back from the bad first game against Czech, and beat Italy, or at least tie them and have a chance in the final game against Austria.

        what was the question again??

      • This was a very unusual post and I’m not sure I agree with some of the parts (I’m not sure I understand them either). But I like it. Feels honest. And most importantly, I’m all about the attitude of believing we can win. I feel like I spend so much time waiting for this thing, then when it actually comes I get mired in overanalyzing the draw and (over the next few months) having endles arguments about selection, and not enough just being a fan of USA soccer. There is no shame or naivite in believing or pulling for us to win the cup. 31 sets of fans go home disappointed no matter what. Let’s just go for it.

      • Dikranovich, You had me…..

        “I expect my nation to go into every event it enters with the idea of winning it.”

        Then you lost me….

        “I believe that many of our soccer fans in this country are left leaning liberals, who don’t believe in faith as much as the people on the right. its holding us back as a soccer nation”

      • Um…excuse me..dik,
        You seem to be of the opinion that the political views of a portion of USMNT fans are what is holding back the USMNT – the same team that you also think is going to win the WC. Are not these two ideas in direct opposition to one another?

      • travis, im sorry, let me clarify. its not the views of a portion of the fans, rather it is all fans. if you are left leaning, you lack faith, and if you are right leaning, you show indifference.

        it should be no surprise that cities like seattle and Portland are such soccer havens. or that dallas, Columbus and Kansas city have historically come in low on attendance. but really maybe the perception and the realities are changing, because I sure hope so.

        clearly what is going on in MLS is going to help pave the way for our national team, because fans of the US soccer team are not just card carrying members of US soccer, or American outlaws, but all americans.

        maybe there are no sure fire answers, but believing your team can win, has to be up there, and so does rooting for your team. I think if you could bring these two concepts together, it would take this whole thing to a new level.

        but yes, the USA can still win a world cup, even with all the silly rednecks who don’t have a clue, or even the inclination. but still the same, their inclusion would be huge.

        you start playing soccer to hillbilly music, and you will see American players doing some of the most amazing things with a soccer ball.

      • What? I am a liberal and an atheist, and while I am pragmatic about my team’s chances, I am hoping and rooting 100% for the win. My expectations are admittedly even higher than they should be. I will be just as happy as any conservative if we win, and just as sad if we lose. I really don’t think political/religious ideologies have anything to do with soccer or its fans in this country.

      • Doesn’t this thread make you wish we could all go out for a beer and just talk. Nuance is so tough to get in these messages.

      • Holy &^%$, am I to take you seriously Mr. “dikranovich” and where do I begin? Probably a fool for trying but, what the heck, I’ll bite.

        This is a soccer site, I’m not much of an ideologue or a political animal. Mostly I see politics as a fear mongering, manipulative wedge used to create “others” to demonize and stoke emotion rather than thought… to divide and to divert peoples attention from real issues. The caricatures each side portray don’t apply to 90%… most people are much more similar than they are different. Does “being left leaning” get in the way of winning a World Cup? Certainly not as most who have won and who are realistic top contenders would be labeled socialist zealots by the right in this country.

        I’m pragmatic. Certainly belief has a place in success, but my observations and experience tell me that brutally honest self evaluation regarding ones own strengths and weaknesses in order to devise a plan and then tireless hard work are very effective in getting one to where they want to go. Turns out, also quite effective in building/reinforcing rational, substantive belief. I’ll put my money on the individual, team or soccer nation that takes this route over praying themselves to a Cup… probably lots of faith/prayers cancelling each other out anyhow, yeah? Frankly, I think there are those in this country that speak of “American Exceptionalism” and see it as some kind of God-given birthright. I’d call that obnoxious self entitlement that completely misses the point that what made this country exceptional was mostly personal freedom/opportunity that fueled creative thinking and a brutal work ethic.

        So why play if you only have an outside chance to win? Number 1… the simple love/passion for what you do. Number 2, inevitably the highest levels of success are achieved through persistence, the willingness to try, fail and try again… and keep doing this until you get it right. To learn from your failures and from those better than you and enjoy the process.

        “I expect my nation to go into every event it enters with the idea of winning it.”

        OK fine. Sports and soccer in general are sometimes crazy…. miracles/whacky things do happen. Lets take a look at the entire history of winners in WC… pretty much the same cast of top flight characters. Why? Because it would take a long series of miracles for a team at the skill level of the US to overcome the skill level of the top 10 and FIFA and a host of other factors. Frankly, I don’t believe you really think we have anything outside an extremely remote chance of winning World Cup. It’s either false bravado, a lack of knowledge of the game or delusion.

        There is a significant difference in thinking with a lengthy series of unlikely events and circumstances, you can go on a crazy run of upsets and have a gamblers shot of wining it all and the kind of belief I am talking about: KNOWING for a fact that you have one of the very best teams. We don’t and if we think we do, we never will. Salud.

      • whoop-whoop, im not saying I disagree with everything you have said. the original point was regarding your comment that you were not even remotely coming into this world cup thinking we were going to win it. to that, I suggested that if this is the feeling, then we have not progressed very far as a soccer nation, as your feelings on this cup were shared by most American soccer fans regarding the 1990 world cup.

        but whoop whoop, maybe that is just the process.

        or maybe, it is something else. if you told a US fan in late summer of 2009 that the path to the semi finals in south Africa 10 would be through Ghana and Uruguay, what would be the sentiment? good chance to advance, fair chance, reasonable chance, what? then you tell those fans that only Holland stand between USA and the finals. if USA has to face a top team in the semi finals, would Holland not be favorite to head that list? then you are told that the team you face in the finals will be the team that you just beat in confederations cup, and that is a gold star for the taking.

        two of the last four world cup winners are first time winners, as well as first time finalist. some people might say, well, it was france and spain, and they were next in line, but maybe the landscape is changing and these things are more up for grabs.

        I don’t really know what it means to be pragmatic, but if it is something like saying frances avg player is worth 16 million and uruguays is only worth 8, so therefor, france is twice as likely to win, then I don’t agree with it. or that countries with tiny populations like Croatia and Bulgaria cant make semifinals.

        because whoop whoop, if freaking a country the size of freaking Croatia can make a semi finals, and same goes for Bulgaria, then the USA at the very least, should aspire to a little bit more.

      • Aspiring to something and thinking you have done enough to realistically achieve it are two completely different things. Having a goal/aspiration is quite possible while while also being self aware enough to understand that you have a lot more work to do. I’d say it is a pretty good way to attain it.

        Pragmatism has much to do with making decisions/judgements based on facts. The size and wealth of a country has pretty clearly proven to not be a major determining factor in WC success.

        What does? I think I already alluded to the fact that in my estimation, it has much to do with intense passion, LOTS of time and effort intelligently directed toward a goal over a long period of time. In short…. you have to earn it! We’ve only just begun in that regard very recently and the results are reflected with the product on the field…. in a positive way in comparison to 20 years ago and in a negative way in comparison to nations like recent winner Spain who have been at it and knocking on the door for a MUCH longer period of time..

        Thanks for the civil discussion brother.

      • “didn’t you watch the 1990 world cup and feel the same way about our chances of winning?”

        Not even remotely the same…

        1990 = college players who squeaked into the tourney beating T&T by 1 goal, with Mexico disqualified from the qualification tourney.

        2014 = Top Euro league and MLS pros who dominated qualifying tourney.

        In short, our country has vastly improved its players over the last 24 years, while the traditionally strong countries have similar quality and expectations as 24 years ago. Now we are expected to be in the WC, where 24 years ago it was a cause for celebration just to make it.

        Yes we are in a tough group, but if this group had Honduras or Costa Rica instead of the US, it wouldn’t be the group of death. That speaks to how our nation is regarded by others. We absolutely have a chance to win the whole tournament…a much much better chance than 24 years ago.

      • All the prognosticators were saying the same thing in 2006 and 2010. They’ll be saying it again in 2018. If you think the rest of the world has been standing still watch a Champions League, Bundesliga, or EPL match. I would say the rest of the world is commensurately getting better.

      • Forgive me for not reading the entirety of all the replies to this, but I think you make a few good points. A few things to add:
        1) In 1990, US soccer fans would have been thrilled if we won A SINGLE GAME at the World Cup. Expectations have certainly been raised since then. We EXPECT to finish first in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying standings. We EXPECT to advance out of the group stage at the World Cup, either by winning the group if we are in a relatively easy group like we were in 2010, or coming second which is probably our best hope in this year’s Group of Death. Once we make the 2nd round, we expect to threaten for upsets even against titans like Brazil and Germany, who we only lost to by one goal each in 1994 and 2002, respectively.
        2) And this is a group of death–2 of the top 5 teams in the World? Check. Best team from CONCACAF/Pot 3? Check. Best team in Africa? Check. The key to a group of death is having 3 or ideally 4 teams that had every right to expect to advance to round 2 based on quality and/or history. Ghana and Portugal have advanced at the last 2. US has advanced at 2 of the last 3. Germany always advances. All four teams are in very good form as 2013 closes. Two of them are going to go home EXTREMELY disappointed.
        3) I think you make a great point about the USMNT needing support from all political persuasions and all religious affiliations. And for the US to always have a winning attitude from their players, coaches, and their fans. The players and coaches have always had a tremendous attitude, frequently upsetting and keeping up with nations stocked with talent from the highest leagues, even when we have far fewer players in those leagues. I think most fans carry this attitude and believe in the team this World Cup, even though they were disappointed that we got stuck with a very challenging draw.
        4) It would help if certain circles who follow other sports didn’t feel threatened by a sport they are unfamiliar with. Too often they try to score points by insulting soccer and soccer fans. Even if they don’t follow professional soccer or MLS, they should support the US team during world cup qualifying with the same passion as hockey, basketball, the Olympics and other international competitions. Others below have pointed out that the fanbase for US soccer (both men’s and women’s) has grown exponentially since 1990.
        5) Most importantly, if we do make it out of the group of death, and I expect we will, we are in soccer’s elite from that moment until proven otherwise. That will not seem like a big of an accomplishment–getting out of a group stage, we’ve done that before. But never in a group like this. In 2006, our group was nearly as hard–Italy, who went on to win it all, Ghana, and Czech Republic. If Czech Republic was better, it would be about the same as our 2014. But we didn’t get out of that group. Getting out of this group would be roughly the equal of the time we made it to the quarterfinals in 2002. To get out of this group, we have to play BETTER than either Germany or Portugal (or both, if Ghana plays better than them too!) 2nd place teams from the group of death often make runs to the semis, and if we make it, we are a legitimate threat to do that too.

  8. Die Klinsy! I smirked when he said “Germany is one of the best teams in the world, one of the favorites…but that doesn’t mean that we can’t beat them.”

    The Klinsy optimism plus his accent always makes a good interview.

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