Top Stories

Klinsmann looking to finalize USMNT’s Gold Cup plans in friendly vs. Guatemala

Jurgen Klinsmann USMNT 18

Photo by Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports

By RYAN TOLMICH

The U.S. Men’s National Team is less than a week away from kicking off the Gold Cup, but Friday night brings one last opportunity for the team to fine-tune ahead of the crucial summer tournament.

The U.S is set to take on Guatemala at Nissan Stadium on Friday night in Nashville, Tennessee, giving head coach Jurgen Klinsmann one last chance to eye his roster before deciding on starters for the Gold Cup opener against Honduras next Tuesday.

Klinsmann is planning to feature many of the regulars from the start of the game against the Guatemalans, but also intends to take full advantage of the six substitutions that are available in friendlies. That way, he can get a real sense of who is ready for the Gold Cup.

“I think the game against Guatemala will give us a really big hint toward the starting eleven a couple of days later in Dallas against Honduras,” said Klinsmann. “In the friendly with Guatemala we have the chance to use six subs. We will use all six subs most likely to give the players minutes and give them a chance to show us what they have.

“As we get closer to the opening game we’re going to zoom in and plan through hopefully a long tournament.”

Heading into the Guatemala friendly, much of Klinsmann’s focus has been on his side’s fitness. The head coach, as usual, is looking to make sure his team is among the most in-shape in the tournament.

The summer months present the added challenge of reinvigorating the European and Mexican imports, as they look to return to peak fitness after some time off following the conclusion of their club seasons.

Klinsmann, however, is far from concerned with fitness issues, meaning the Guatemala match will see the U.S. staff look more at player chemistry than physical readiness.

“We are pleased with the shape that the players were in coming in, especially the ones that were on a break,” Klinsmann said. “They had their training plans and they followed them, but still you’re not in a team environment and you’re not in a game rhythm. It’s really our job to get them up to game speed and get them sharp as quickly as possible, and with sharpness and physical shape comes confidence.

“Overall it’s going well. We are now days away from the game in Guatemala, which is an important benchmark for us because we can clearly see where our players stand right now. We hope for a good atmosphere and a good game for our guys. It’s this kind of spirit we hope to carry into the Gold Cup from the beginning on.”

With fitness of little concern, the Guatemala friendly comes as a chance to assess players and build confidence within the group. Klinsmann is expecting his players to not only appear strong vs. the Guatemalans, but throughout a Gold Cup tournament that could give the U.S. a ticket to the 2017 Confederations Cup.

“Well the message to the team is very straight forward. We are under the expectations of winning this tournament,” Klinsmann said. “Even if we know that teams like Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico all are very good teams and can also beat us, you’ve got to be on top of things. You’ve got to be very disciplined, you’ve got to be focused, and in a CONCACAF tournament you’ve got to be patient.

“We told the players right from the beginning that it’s expected that we go through it with a lot of discipline and with a lot of aggressiveness and a lot determination, and that they represent the most amazing country in the world and that they always keep in mind who they represent and what they stand for. It’s with that spirit we want to go into this Gold Cup.”

Comments

  1. I feel like this is a make or break tournament for Johannsson.If he doesn’t take a hold of that spot now, players like Morris and Rubin soon will.

    Reply
  2. Klinsmann needs to keep visiting the voodoo priest before he runs out of luck, which seems to be the only good quality he has as a coach.

    Reply
  3. Can we just sit or bubble wrap Bradley for the Guatemala game? A Bradley injury is the single greatest threat to a U.S. repeat.

    Reply
    • agreed. but just named capt’n; he isn’t sitting on the bench!

      MB is the type who could play 90 min on Friday, Tuesday, next Friday and probably a few times between those days. but yes an injury would be devastating.

      Reply
    • I’d have to disagree considering the depth of the program right now, I’d even venture to say we’re on our way to straight up dominating the region for some time based on the talent coming down the pipeline! MB in the lineup obviously makes things easier but heaven forbid he got injured I still think we’d be just fine!

      Reply
      • “based on the talent coming down the pipeline!”

        What’s that old saying about chickens before they are hatched?

        The young US talent looks good now but Morris may not come back so good from that fracture, GZ may not make the leap etc., etc. and you can just go from there.

        Remember when Juan Agudelo was supposed to make Jozy retire?

        Or when we were going to have a pair of speedy wingers when Gatt and Gyau got going?

        Or when Gonzo was going to be the lock down beast mode center half who was going to make everyone forget about Gooch?

        It’s nice to be optimistic but you’ll pardon me if I wait until these young guys actually do something consistently over time.

      • I guess you can excuse my optimism but that’s all it is at this point so stop being a Debbie downer lol! Listen, I like many other fans know that we’ve heaped praise on our young, seemingly promising players in the past and will continue to do so because it’s what gives us hope but I also believe that at some point this potential that we speak of has to start to be realized, so why not now!

      • Nothing wrong with being optimistic. I think the USMNT has a potentially bright future but I still prefer to be a little more realistic in my expectations of US soccer players..

        What I find interesting is when the expectations for the level of play from the USMNT talent pool become unrealistic and people start wanting to get rid of proven performers like Jozy and Dempsey because they think they have the next best thing coming down the pipe.

        I’ve been waiting a few years for Agudelo, AJ, Boyd, Gyau, Gatt, Shea, Morales etc. to become consistent USMNT performers never mind Wood, Morris, Garza, Rubin, Alvarado and all those Under – 23 and Under- 20 guys,

        And you may not remember but I saw Timmy Chandler’s first few USMNT games and I thought I had never seen a US fullback with more talent. He certainly looked much better than he does now.

        Morris is a special case but a stress fracture at this point is not a good thing.

        Injuries will probably ruin a lot of these guys before their time.

        And it would be a good idea to remember that our competition is getting better all the time as well.

        A year ago most of you wanted to bury Mikey. Now everyone loves him and wants to bury Clint and Jozy.

      • “Or when we were going to have a pair of speedy wingers when Gatt and Gyau got going?”

        I still cry a solitary tear every night thinking about what could have been with these two (still can technically but stats show knee injuries are not kind to speedsters)

    • Agreed. We seem to have at minimum a half-baked solution for any injury to most players except Bradley. Yeah, they may not be like for like, but many would net out in about the same place.

      Reply
  4. Who’s he kidding, he has his starting 11 picked before camp even started. It will never be an open competition under JK. My only question is if he will call in some others after the group stage?

    Reply
    • JK almost never uses the same lineup in back to back games. So much so that it’s become a punchline in many of the SBI lineup prediction articles. I’m curious why you would say JK is already locked into a starting lineup and who you think is in that lineup?

      Reply
      • Some people hate JK so much that they’ve gone insane and will attack him for anything even if there really is nothing there. Not saying everyone who hates him, but a good chunk.

      • That’s the world of sports, and real life for you unfortunately so it’s not just in reference to JK. We as fans are fickle , we like who we like and vis a versa! It’s all down to who you talk to, some think he’s done an amazing job with his decisions and to others, not so much!

      • So did Bora Milutinović and he escaped criticism since no one paid much attention back then.

  5. wish we could make 11 subs in this game, all at half – 45 min for everyone.

    my guess is we go:
    —–Dempsey——-Johannsson—–
    —————–Bradley——————-
    ——Johnson——Bedoya——-
    —————–Beckerman——-
    -Garza-Brooks–Alvarado-Chandler
    ——————–Guzan———
    Wondo for Dempsey
    Zusi for Johnson
    Morales for Beckerman
    Ream for Brooks
    Yedlin for Chandler
    Yarbrough for Guzan

    resting Jozy, Mix, Zardes, Gonzalez, Evans, Rimando (all in MLS mid-season form)
    just hope we don’t have any injuries!

    Reply
    • With the exception of Chandler, I don’t mind that starting XI.

      I’m no JK fanboy or hater, I simply don’t understand Chandler’s inclusion by JK. He does (almost) nothing for me. Going forward – Yedlin is maybe a step behind him, but has MUCH more potential. Defending – Chandler is gawdawful. And I mean that.

      In the words of Tom Hanks in Big, “I don’t get it.”

      Reply
      • Well, Chandler started almost every game for Eintracht Frankfurt which finished 9th in the Bundesliga, so his coach there and JK must see some value in that and in him.

Leave a Comment