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Guatemala overwhelms USMNT in first of two World Cup qualifiers

Geoff Cameron Michael Bradley USMNT 20

The U.S. Men’s National Team failed to show up against Guatemala on Friday night, and Jurgen Klinsmann’s side now finds itself in a precarious position in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.

Rafael Morales and Carlos Ruiz netted first half goals for the hosts, leading Guatemala to a dominant 2-0 victory over the USMNT on Friday night at the Estadio Mateo Flores. With the loss, the U.S. currently sits third in Group C, with the Americans left to face each of the three other sides in the group once more.

Guatemala netted the opening goal  just seven minutes into the match after Morales headed home a corner kick. Mix Diskerud was the closest player to the ball for the Americans, however, he wasn’t able to clear for the away side.

Guatemala stunned the U.S. again in the 14th minute, doubling their lead at 2-0 as Ruiz beat goalkeeper Tim Howard on a breakaway following a Guatemala goal kick. For the second time in the opening quarter hour, the U.S. backline looked quite vulnerable, as the 36-year old Ruiz darted past the defense with ease.

The U.S. struggled severely in the attacking third over the opening 45 minutes, mustering up just one shot on goal. Bobby Wood, stationed up front as the lone U.S. forward, failed to see much of the ball and that led to the team’s offensive inefficiencies.

Darlington Nagbe’s introduction for Mix Diskerud at the half changed the complexion of the U.S. attack. The Portland Timbers midfielder was one of the few bright spots for Klinsmann’s side, looking very comfortable taking players on.

In the 52nd minute, Guatemala goalkeeper Paulo Motta made a crucial double-save on Clint Dempsey and Alejandro Bedoya to preserve the shutout. The forward move for the U.S. was the first positive pressure for the traveling side after halftime.

Ruiz nearly found his second goal of the night in the 71st minute following another Guatemala corner kick. The forward’s attempt smacked off the crossbar, keeping the deficit at two for the Americans.

Jozy Altidore, who found his way into the match in the 66th minute for Omar Gonzalez, had an opportunity to close the gap with about 10 minutes remaining, but Motta made a big kick save for the Guatemalans.

The two teams will meet again on Tuesday at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Despite the struggles for the U.S. in the attacking third, Paulo Motta came up huge on several occasions for the Guatemalans. Saves on Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore in the second half preserved the lead for the home side, although Guatemala was the deserving winner.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

After having already conceded a goal in the opening 10 minutes, the U.S. backline fell victim to another lapse just minutes later when Carlos Ruiz doubled Guatemala’s lead. A routine goal kick for the home side caught the U.S. defense napping, and Ruiz was able to dash through beat Howard.

MATCH TO FORGET

Simply put, the U.S. played poorly from start to finish. While the team didn’t perform well on the field, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will certainly have to answer several questions regarding his tactics heading into the match.

Comments

  1. I started following soccer a decade ago in lead up to the 2006 World Cup, and quickly became an SBIer as Ives was writing all about it on ESPN.com. USMNT stuff jumped over all of my other favorite teams and sports to follow, and it wasn’t close.

    Anyway, I’ve watched almost every USMNT game since, and have never not watched or stopped watching one out of anger, boredom, or disappointment until last night. I lasted until the 73rd minute and then didn’t want to think about this game anymore. I was done taking notes, I was done being so irrationally upset.

    Maybe my drinking was part of it, since I started at the beginning of the U-23 game, but I’ve drank way more before watching bad USMNT games and it didn’t evoke this reaction. Maybe I’ve become more sensitive and emotional in recent weeks. Maybe my reaction was completely justifiable, but it feels dirty to turn off the TV when I consider myself a die-hard fan. I don’t know.

    I may watch it again if I can find a replay, but here were my impressions, basically in order:

    I wasn’t happy about the line-up. I don’t think any of us would have made that team. I scratched my head but tried to withhold being upset about it until I got to see JK’s plan.

    I loved Wood’s heat, he was sizzling all game long. He got a yellow that was well deserved, but he stayed aggressive and the good kind of nasty.

    Mix was weak on the first goal from Cruz … but whose bright idea was it to mark Cruz with Mix? I’d want Gonzo or even Cam on him every set-piece.
    Angry that Mix is weak like that, angry that he’s marking their biggest threat.

    25 minutes in and I feel like there have been too many bad calls already for the refs not to be biased against us. I think this, and then angrily hope JK doesn’t even try to shift blame onto the refs.

    I know our players aren’t that great, but they aren’t THAT much worse than Guatemala’s squad, if at all … I’m in the camp that thinks our options for this game were much better than theirs.
    This was about poor preparation. This was about bad tactics. JK clearly thought they were going to do something they didn’t do, but even worse was that it wasn’t the best squad to execute what he was misguidely trying to do. Why was Cameron at RB and Orozco at CB when Cam is our best CB and Orozco hasn’t done much there and actually did good the last time he played RB?
    I figured it out when I noticed Yedlin was pinching in more than I’ve ever seen him do before. Cam must be out wide to better aid the attack since last time Orozco was there he didn’t appear to want to get involved much beyond the halfway line. So, instead of playing Nguyen or Nagbe out wide and letting them pinch in, you ask Yedlin to do it even though he never does, and now someone needs to get into that outside space from fullback when that’s what Yedlin was our best option for accomplishing. It’s dumb.

    I also didn’t see the point concerning the corner where Bedoya rolls the ball like 2 yards to MB who then swings it in. Isn’t it harder to hit a ball that’s coming at you at an angle, especially serving it at an angle like 120 degrees different? Wouldn’t hitting a still ball a few feet farther away be much easier?

    Oh, and Mix was playing noticably deeper to start off, and even if he was supposed to be a box-to-box, is he really the first choice? Over Bedoya or Nagbe, or putting Beckman at DM and letting Bradley roam, or putting Bradley at DM and letting someone else focus farther up the field? Mix?

    Sorry this is way too long.

    Reply
    • I was willing to give Klinsmann the January camp to really look at the pool and start building depth in every position. However that clearly didn’t happen. He still just calls in his favorite 23 guys and then finds a way to throw them on the field. It just feels like we are stuck and not going forward. No effort being made to correct mistakes.
      The fact the Alvarado is even in this team just shows there is Zero accountability on the players just like the coaches.

      Reply
  2. Ok, I get that Wood has been scoring lately in the B-2, but no player in MLS has been scoring more than Wondo. Yet JK continues to leave him on the bench and play Dempsey, who has lately not been that much of a threat for Seattle and Jozy, who does not score as much as Wondo in MLS and is coming off an injury.

    Arguments that Wondo is not an international level player just do not cut it. He scores more than any other US player in MLS period. And it is Guatemala who are weak even by their normal standards.

    This team seems to always look for Bradley to make a pass to and since he was sitting deeper, that meant the US killed many of its attacks by passing backwards to Bradley rather than try something riskier that would put Guatemala’s defenders under pressure. I can only surmise all the back passes to Bradley were part of JK’s plan and it did not work.

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  3. The day he announced the last World Cup team without #10 on it?…He should have been promptly called into someones office, handed a press release, and escorted back to the podium where he would apologize to the players and America for the misinterpretation of Landon’s fitness exam.

    It’s painfully clear this guy is much more interested in promoting players with European agents (and collecting their under the table/kick back CA$H), than he is in winning hardware for the USA!

    Reply
  4. I woke up this morning after watching that crap of a performance and I have to vent. Let me say this and I mean it with every bit of my soul. Not trying to be a jerk, racist, race card or whatever I’m going to tell it like it is, and if you don’t like it i respect that.

    Our USMNT and the USSF will NEVER be the team they want and we want them to be with the current members of the USSF, the analyst and commentators we use, and the fans who keep giving JK a pass because of his background.

    It starts off with with the players from the late 80’s and early and late 90’s. These are the “legends” of US soccer that we take all our advice from that tell us what should be happening who support JK etc…but at the end of the day, if Soccer was the sport of choice instead of college football back in 1869, Lalas, twellman, and every other 1990 WC player we basically say are US soccer gods would NEVER exist. They wouldn’t be good enough to even make the team if SEC and Big 10 country and Pac 12 were Soccer hubs, if the US was a soccer hub.

    We take our advice from wannabe’s. When i was in Jr high what was a wannabe…someone who sucked at who they were, and wanted to emulate the popular kid, or the jock. Thats who Lalas and all these other bums are… US Soccer is the only sport in our country where we Strive to be someone else. They want us to be Europeans and not ourselves.. Instead of being who we are and developing on that we take our American Spirit and trash it to play a game style we are foreign to. It’s why the USSF allows our USMNT to be coached by an idiot, and that idiot to choose some of the least athletic and technically sound players but theyre good little soldiers who keep their mouth shut because they are playing. The US fan deserves a live match with JK’s horrible teams vs a team full of athletes and technically sound players. You give me an XI of Robles, Chandler, Edu, Farrell, Lichaj, Shea, Feilhaber, Corona, Adu, Agudelo, and Davies and they beat any JK XI currently on his qualifying roster….

    Reply
    • Trooff,

      Boy,…you must have had a bad night’s sleep!

      First of all, check the nonsense direct at the players from the late eighties and nineties! You mean the guys who qualified for the World Cup as college players,…competing against professionals? You mean the guys who beat Colombia (a dark horse pick) in the ’94 World Cup? You mean the guys who finished 4th in the Copa America in ’95,…including John Harkes who was Co-MVP of the tournament? You mean guys like Kasey Keller,…who went to London when he was a teenager to play for Millwall, then Leceiater and beyond. A GK who Romario said put on the greatest GK performance he had ever seen. You mean Claudio Reyna,…a player who was voted Best XI in the 2002 World Cup!!! Let me repeat that,…BEST XI in a World Cup! Do you mean guys like Ernie Strwart, Tom Dooley, Tab Ramos?

      Are you kidding?

      Reply
  5. USNT’s problem starts USSF, Sunsil is mediocre.

    Klinsmann repeating same mistakes over and over: playing players out successful position, keeps calling players like Orozco and Wondo, etc…

    Reply
  6. So will the Juergen apologists finally stop barking when we fail to qualify for Russia 2018? Let’s face it guys, we aren’t one of the top 4 teams in CONCACAF right now.

    Reply
  7. I can’t help but wonder how different would have the outcome would have been had the lineup or assignments been like this? It’s only 1 player off from what started last night, but players would have been a little more in areas where they typically play for clubs (excepting Bradley, but he strikes me a disciplined enough that he could fill the #6 role). Heck switch Nagbe for Lee and Beckerman for MB and I think you still see a better outcome simply by playing folks where they are currently playing week in and week out.

    ————-Wood—-Dempsey————–

    —-Diskerud—-Bedoya—–Ngyugen—-

    ——————Bradley———————-

    -Castillo–Gonzalez–Cameron–Yedlin-

    —————–Howard———————–

    Reply
  8. How is it even possible for things to go so wrong and people are blaming the players and not the coach. According to people’s logic why even have a coach then?!!!

    Walter Claveri took over the team in December how many new players did he include in the line-up?? So in that case why did they fire Ivan Franco Sopegno??? Its the players to blame right??? We got beaten by the same OLD Guatemalan players

    Why are Leicester City doing so well in the EPL? With no name even low Tier players? Claudio Ranieri and his Coaching abilities

    WHEN have we ever blamed players for our failures?? I’m not saying we have the best players in the world but I do know that if a team that deserves to be in the top 15-20 spot in the world is getting beaten by the minnows of CONCACAF the COACH needs to go. Its been a while…enough is enough. And for those who don’t agree then WE ALL will continue to watch flat pathetic soccer until the man at the helm is fired

    Reply
    • While I’m not defending Klinsmann, you can’t not blame the players, too. There is a thing called self pride. Have you ever had a job where you didn’t like your supervisor? Did that mean you didn’t try to do your job well? If it did, you are one lousy employee and don’t deserve to keep your job. I had a number of lousy supervisors over the years, but I always did my job well until I became a manager and then I knew what not to do. The US did not play nearly as hard as Guatemala. It’s WC qualifying, for god’s sake. Any player in that situation should leave it all out on the field. As a side note, it bothered me that Jordan Morris pretty much stopped playing for the U-23’s the last 15 minutes or so. Even if you are gassed, he could have at least tried to help out on defense. He was no better than a traffic cone. I used to run for recreation and there were a lot of times when I was running longer races like a half marathon when I hurt so bad and could have quit, but I willed myself to the finish. I have no sympathy for professional athletes who can’t show that same dedication as a recreational runner.

      Reply
      • I feel like Bizzy is saying the coach is deserving blame, and you are saying the players are deserving blame. Both are true when something like this happens.

        A recreational runner isn’t a team … there is very little chemistry and understanding required to just run, and you’re usually running for yourself, not a coach or a team. I view myself as an honest hard worker, as well as patriotic, but if I’m given confusing commands, or commands that I think are misguided, my work tends to suffer. Alone, I have no problems seeking clarification from my master, but as part of a hierarchical team, I’m going to use the chain of command first, and possibly only if I feel my commander might hold a grudge against me for criticising him/her on their techniques.

        As some have said, I don’t see our lack of fire as lack of motivation, but as lack of understanding and chemistry. Nobody at this level of competition gets willfully embarrassed by not giving it their all.

  9. this squad is very poor In quality, Fabian Johnson, brooks, Besler out for injury let team very weak. the errors of klinsmann In put Yedlin in the middle and orozco and Gonzalez In line up let very worse.
    it’s unbelievable, have better playes than last squad.
    Leetget, hedges, lichaj, williams, Morales, Chandler…

    Reply
    • This team has players who start for EPL teams, LigaMX teams etc. The opposition was a bunch of dudes from the Guatemalan league. The player pool is plenty good enough to beat Guatemala.

      Reply
      • Yeah, I missed the news that the Guatemalan league was one of the top leagues in the world and Carlos Ruiz at 35 or whatever was faster than any of our defenders.

      • Exactly, players are good enough they just lack the drive to equal a really determined squad like Guatemala or Jamaica last year.

        I guess thats what happens when a overhyped coach trys to manage a bunch of overpaid, under challenged players.

  10. At this point in time the team doesn’t believe a single think Klinsmann says. It happens to much better coaches of much better teams.
    Time to thank him for his services and send him on his way. Signing him for a second term was just plain stupid.

    Reply
  11. For me the question is simple: does Klinsmann make the best use of the available talent — through selection, tactics, and motivation — to give the team the best chance of success? And second: is the team getting better, or worse? Put aside talk of “blame” for a particular result and see the big picture. Evaluate Klinsmann like you would any national team coach, not as someone who deserves unlimited time to work a “transformation” of US soccer. Would any other federation with ambitions like those of the USSF put up with this for so long?

    Reply
  12. JK isn’t the problem. The problem is that the player pool is currently average on a good day and mediocre on a bad day. That will produce inconsistent results no matter who is in charge. JK has been shuffling lineups and positions in the hopes of locating some hidden magic. Sometimes that’s worked — as in the World Cup — if only temporarily. The rough spot we’ve been in lately indicates to me that JK has exhausted his options — there isn’t any permanent magic to be found in this pool. One could argue that replacing the magician might be the solution — and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to do so — but you’d also have to be convinced that there are better tricks to be had with these props.

    Reply
    • See my point below. There’s no “magic” here, and there never was. That’s no dig at Klinsmann, it’s just a fact of soccer life. The team is no longer benefiting from his leadership.

      Reply
    • We haven’t lost to Guatemala in 28 years. We have better players at every position. The player pool isn’t any worse than it’s been over the past 10-15 years. We shouldn’t need “magic” to beat this team. With JK at the helm, this team can lose to anyone, anywhere. In no other country would this guy survive the run of results he’s had since Brazil. He simply has to go or we’ll be watching the Hex, let alone Russia, without the USMNT.

      Reply
      • Yep. The US doesn’t have the best players in the world, but surely they are better than this. And they haven’t gotten worse in the last two years. They are now *less* than the sum of their parts. Even on his own criterion — developing a style or a “mentality” — is JK succeeding?

  13. It is patently obvious why the US lost last night, and will continue to lose. Our new kit is an abomination. It looked like Klinsi had to run to a Guatemalan Wal-Mart and hit the sale racks. Way to phone it in Nike.

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  14. ENOUGH – no more excuses. We have not lost to this team in somewhere near 30 years but Klinsmann found a team that could do that. There can be no more excuses and Klinsmann has to go. He is clueless on player selection and assigning them positions. Half the people on this board could do a better job.

    Reply
    • I’ve become similarly frustrated, disenchanted, and at a loss of hope that JK can really learn from all of these consistent criticisms. That said, I think he should get a bit more rope. Someone else said it, I think Old School, that this game on Tuesday should be JK’s to manage, and if he can’t get a win he needs to go.

      I think that if he can show us some adaptability and get a win, we have to naively and begrudgingly let him finish what he started. If we pull him now and still fail, he will never be forced to acknowledge that this was his baby. He’ll point to the WC, and to the unprecedented friendly wins, and even the good winning record, and blame our not qualifying on his firing. If we qualify without him, he can say he built the foundation. I want to know objectively as possible.

      I want him to get us through to the next round and then I want him fired, because I have very little faith in his ability to change his stripes.

      And I actually kind of agree with your somewhat hyperbolic statement that many of us would choose better line-ups … not to say that any of us would be better managers. I see a lot of line-ups on SBI that I disagree with or think are outlandish, but Klinsmann’s selections baffle me on a more consistnet basis.

      Reply
  15. I don’t think a single US player had an above average game today, and most were downright awful. Cameron was probably closest to having a positive effect on the game, followed by Wood.

    What I’m surprised by is how little uproar I’ve seen about Dempsey. For me, he was the worst US player tonight by quite a margin. Mix and Bradley weren’t far behind, though, and their mistakes led directly to the two goals. Deuce lost possession more often than not and had two balls put on a platter for him that he failed to put away. Good saves by the keeper, sure, but really poor finishing. Especially considering clinical finishing is really the only thing that makes Dempsey worth starting. I think he has to sit in the next game. Bring him on as a sub if we badly need goals.

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  16. US Soccer is a cruel hoax played on those who care about our country. Last night along with the losses in the Gold Cup are not low points but merely illustrations of what US Soccer can become. If we play 50 games we have 50 lineups that ususally consist of at least 2 or 3 peole who are either playing out of position or playing a different position than before,. I am not sure why our players wear the same color jersey because that normally would indicate that they care , are playing for their country and are teammates,. We have become a perfect fit for CONCACAF and the federation that would sell their mother for a quarter, BEin Sports who lost their feed at least 7 times in the first half, Guatemala the lowlifes of world soccer and the little man with the nervous laugh who masqueraded as a referee

    Reply
  17. Several if you have commented on Ruiz being offside; there is no offside from a goal kick, whether or not one of our players touched it.

    Regarding Klinsmann, I have been avidly following the US men’s team for 26 years; and I have never had less confidence in its direction. No need to rehash all the reasons, or even agree with all of them, but at some point leadership needs to be held accountable.

    Reply
    • 1998 World Cup lower for me, but yeah it was pretty bad. Yes, we don’t normally win in Guatemala or name Central American country, but that’s usually because they bunker in and limit chances. Not because we fall down on corner kicks and give up one on ones off goal kicks.

      Reply
      • No, the 1990 US WC team was pretty bad. It was composed mostly of college players and as one friend described it the opponents did not just have their way with us they raped us. Maybe a bit over the top, but it describes the helplessness that US team displayed at the hands of vastly superior teams.

    • Never have understood why you can receive a goal kick from what would otherwise be an offside position, but not a free kick since they are essentially the same thing. You are receiving a free kick because the other team committed an infraction i.e. kicked the ball passed the end line.

      Reply
      • Not the same thing. A goal kick is more like a throw in, a change of possession after the ball leaves the playing surface. On any of the three ways a ball that leaves the surface comes back in (throw, goal or corner kick) there is no offsides. So it is consistent.

  18. On another note it doesn’t look like Tony Tchani dressed for Ghana on Thursday do you think we could get him to Columbus by Tuesday?

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  19. Can we get rid of the 4-4-2? We gave up on the 3-5-2 after three outings because it didn’t work why do we keep going back to the 4-4-2.

    4-2-3-1
    Wood
    Nagbe-Nugyen-Finlay
    Beckerman-Bradley
    Castillo-Birnbaum-Gonzalez-Cameron
    Bingham

    or 4-2-2-2
    Wood-Dempsey
    Nugyen————-Bedoya
    Becks—-Bradley
    Castillo-Birnbaum-Gonzalez-Yedlin
    Bingham

    Cameron out wide is our only back that can create anything going forward. If FJ can go I’d put him in for Castillo.

    Reply
  20. This was probably the worst performance from a USMNT I’ve ever seen. The players were flat, disinterested, and appeared to have no desire to play. There is plenty of blame to pass around to both the players and the coaching staff, but If this is how a veteran packed team plays in a WCQ than it’s time to make some serious changes to how this team is run and who is selected. While we couldn’t have predicted the injuries to Brooks & Besler the decisions made were still horrible.
    Cameron should have been a CB from the start. Yedlin should have been the RB from the start. Nguyen or Nagbe should have started instead of Mix as a creative CM/Box-to-Box shifting Bradley to a more Deep lying role.
    Its clear that we still have depth issues in this team and with the poor performances by veteran players it may be time to put some of them out to pasture. If Mix beat out Beckerman, than it’s time to bid him farewell. Howard’s age and lack of playing time really showed….the gaff where the ball almost went into the goal because he let it slip under his foot. Guzan should start from now on unless he gets benched again at Villa. Dempsey needs to be a super-sub…his lack of interest really pissed me off. If Jozy isn’t available to start w/ Wood than go to a single striker formation. Lastly…based of their play today I’m for cutting out all the Vets for the Copa America this summer. Leave them all out….Beckerman, Dempsey, Jones, Howard, Orozco, Cameron, and even Bradley….and use the tournament to integrate the younger/fringe players into starting roles for us. The Copa doesn’t count for anything other than bragging rights so why not use it to give these players real experience and playing time. Players like Nagbe, Nguyen, Williams, Morales, Kitchen, Brooks, Yedlin, Villafana, and anyone else who might actually play with some desire.

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  21. It’s been a while since I posted (maybe 1 – 2months), but I probably need to do a little unloading here. FIrst and foremost, some one you know I am not a huge JK fan as a coach, but I don’t hate either because I think he has an eye for talent. However, during his tenure, he has some blame to accept.

    However, on this game, while he has to accept some blame. It’s THE PLAYERS THAT WERE GARBAGE. Some guy on this thread was complaining about the defensive selection, but his 2 RCB went down with injury so he choose his 3rd choice (Orozco). The midfield was utter garbage. Mixx was responsible for the 1st goal by leaving his man in conjunction with Howard who chose not to have a man on the posts and then did not save a savable goal. Bradley, like a moron, flicked the ball BACK, aimlessly for Ruiz. If he let it go, Ruiz would have been offside because the back line was holding high on the kick. Dempsey is reverting to his time back when he used to play wing and would sometimes be disinterested and not do anything.

    I think Klinsman is foolish for playing Mixx who is GARBAGE. Zardes should not be starting! Dempsey does not create, he needs people to run off him. If you play Bradley as an attacking midfielder (he is really more of a box to box or a deep lying 6 who passes), play a true Dmid behind him.

    I blame JK for playing Mixx, and Bradley upfront instead of Nagbe in that whole. So that is 25-30% or so of the blame. However, 70% of the fault lies with lackadaisical play of the guys of the field and the mistakes they made. How much more blame JK takes will depend on how he adjusts on Tuesday. Hopefully, Beasler recovers and he replaces Orozco. Beckerman starts if Bradley is pushed up or preferably it will be Bradley and Nagbe and Fabian instead of Yedlin. US needs the win on Tuesday or qualification gets dicey.

    Reply
    • I understand you need to vent, I think its pretty obvious we all need to tonight. I forced myself to go back and watch the first 20 minutes to see what happened.

      Mix didn’t leave his man, he fell down (equally bad), and if the ball doesn’t bounce off his flailing backside Howard most likely makes the save. On the Ruiz goal Bradley appears to wiff, but Mix got a touch which put Ruiz offside, but it doesn’t really matter. Zardes didn’t start and Bradley didn’t play an attacking midfielder role, at least not until Guatemala got the 2nd goal and really bunkered in.

      Bradley playing higher or deeper played no role in either goal, other than if he had been in a deep deep midfield role he wouldn’t have bombed the volley 20 feet above the crossbar and been a few yards deeper to head the goal kick, but the goal keeper read a short novel, texted his grandma, and ordered his Uber pick up for after the game before taking the kick so no real reason he wasn’t in position.

      Reply
    • Everything you’ve said is true but i would add that the attitude reflected in the players could also be a direct result of how the coach is managing his locker room. If the players no longer trust in his coaching ability or he hasn’t clearly explained his plan and what he expects from his players that could result in a lot of disagreements, lack of motivation, or no fighting spirit. Who knows? but i will say this in my whole entire life i’ve never seen so many people go so out of their way to blame everything and everybody except the coach for bad results. As if the coach can do no harm. I’m just wondering if we jet eliminated from the hex will they still blame everything else but JK? I just laugh at it now..

      Reply
    • Edmondo I respect your opinion and your much appreciated vent but I disagree with what you the no JK should have done lineup wise once Brooks and Besler went down. It baffles me that Cameron, your first choice CB wasn’t put at CB. Orozco at best case should have played Th, but given that he was not playing for club he should have been on the bench thus Yedlin should have been the RB given he plays there week I’m and out for Sunderland. Leave Bedoya at RM where he has played most of his career for the USMNT, start Zardes at LM where he has played the majority of his starts with the US. I can understand JK starting Mixx with MB because he has been in good form to start the MLS season but that combination hasn’t bore fruit in the past so I would have gone with Nagbe to begin with. If this game didn’t teach Jurgen that it’s time to break up this WC14 team from getting the bulk of the meaningful starts then I ent know what ell but then again it doesn’t seem he has any plan I’m place to carry this team forward that would closely resemble a new way forward/an identity.

      Reply
  22. It’s simple a lack of kick and run soccer at the your level, lack of real coaching at the U-everything and a
    A hack a man domestic league continuously watered down by expansion

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  23. I am beginning to hope that the US won’t get out of the group or that they get hammered in the Copa so that Gulati and company are forced to get this guy out. Or better yet clean the US Soccer house because the full blame falls on the entire management team for allowing this to go on. I have been watching this team for probably longer than many of you have been on this earth and I have been truly frustrated with some bad play in Central America but I have never been this embarrassed! How does a Professional sports franchise get to be this incompetent?

    Reply
  24. When there’s a clear pattern for a significant period of time, as tonight was just the latest example, the coach has to shoulder the blame.

    Under Klinsmann over the last year+:
    1) the offense is flat–despite good possession %–and runs out of ideas in the final third.
    2) defensive lapses–ironically, 25 years ago, when the US sides didn’t have much to boast
    they could always point to consistently solid defenders.

    And true, the players deserve a good measure of blame, but, I would ask that when your best players are underperforming for several games running (ie. Dempsey, Bradley, Altidore, et al) there’s a good possibility that the Klinsmann motivational pitches have fallen flat, and they don’t buy into his formations nor tactics anymore.

    Reply
    • possibility that the Klinsmann motivational pitches have fallen flat, and they don’t buy into his formations nor tactics anymore

      Everything I’m reading and from what I’ve seen over the past 12 months leads me to believe this could very well be the case. I was never a fan of them bringing Klinsmann back for a second World Cup cycle as I’m never a fan of that with any coach.

      It should also be noted the line-up I read online may be one of the worst line-ups I’ve seen in memory for the national team. Once Klinsmann is gone, who are we going to blame? There’s simply no one else to call in that hasn’t been already that will suddenly make this less gloom and doom.

      The next crop of players after Donovan/Dempsey/Howard never stepped up or developed. Could be a dark cycle for the program on a number of levels. Too many pay for play players.

      Reply
      • It was a basic 4-4-2 with Bradley and Mix sliding forward and back wasn’t the diamond as some have said. Dempsey was up top with Wood, he began tracking back looking for the ball, but that was more of case of Mix and Bradley not being able to connect than a line up. Besler and Brooks were hurt. Line up wise it shouldn’t have been as bad as it was.

      • Arguably our best player, he at least had some fire and drew some fouls, just a foot short of netting an early goal on a Dempsey cross. Disappeared a little in the second half, but our strategy turned into trying to dump it over the top, but our long balls were pretty inaccurate.

      • There are plenty of good coaches out there who can do much better than Jk. The problem is most Americans believe they need a Big world renown coach who probably wouldn’t take the job. The other problem is they’ve got Europe on the brain and believe that is the only option for finding a coach to take the U.S. to another level. I believe this thinking was a major reason why so many people fell for the lie that a European coach like JK with very little experience who was handed Germany on a silver platter only because of his ex-player status would take us to the holy land. Please it should be obvious by now to everybody he’s not going to.

        Here’s what i suggest. There are many really good coaches in South America specifically Argentina who are not renown yet and have not been picked up by a top team in Europe yet so why not send some scouts to Argentina to bring back a solid, experienced coach, who knows what he’s doing. A gem in the rough as they say. I always here people make the argument that Jk can’t be replaced because there’s no one to replace him with. Please! As if the only 2 options are a really good coach with lot’s of experience in Europe who probably won’t take the job or a not so good coach but European like JK. As if there are no good coaches anywhere else in the world that could positively contribute to our National Team. Like we can’t have people capable of judging soccer coaching talent. People who can tell a good coach from a bad one and recruit him before he gets noticed by Europe. In the whole of South America there can’t be another Sampaoli we can pick up before he becomes Sampaoli who i believe is now en route to coaching in Europe like so many other South Americans coaches have. Why couldn’t we of scouted him before Chile got him?

    • I’m sorry, when I played sports (soccer and rugby), I DID NOT need a coach to want to go out embarrass the other team. You can blame him for the tactics and selecting players (that I do and have some issues with 2 in this game), but not coming out aggressive or being lackadaisical is on the players.

      Reply
      • I don’t think there is a lack of desire or motivation by players More……. not being clear on tactics, positioning of yourself, your teammates and their tendencies creates uncertainty and hesitation which is easy to misinterpret. Lack of continuity with lineups and players out of position kills free flowing, creative soccer. Thinking too much on the field is not a good thing.

  25. When the entire team comes out awful and flat that falls directly on the coaching staff. Do these guys actually train before a match? The early back pass to Howard means a total lack of prep for the staff. The entire city of Everton and most of the BPL know that you don’t ask Howard to play with his feet. Howard can just barely navigate the 6 nowadays, and anything more demanding like staying upright is a difficult task.

    Carlos Ruiz the slowest striker in the region, carrying two pot bellies and a full caboose of tacos got behind the CB’s at midfield and couldn’t be caught. He barely managed to touch his strike but Howard was already doing his triple lutz to the slick ice. Good look Colorado, groom the ice.

    The media has made these players and Klinsmann into much more than they are. Gautemala will probably not win again except maybe in the return match.

    Mexico changed managers during qualifying, but they had good players to pull it off

    Reply
  26. Bedoya was not impressive today. Should have scored at least one goal.

    Bradley was bad.

    Dempsey was in and out of the game as per usual but that’s what you get.

    Cameron had a stumble or two but continues to look like our most quality player on the field.

    I’m excited to see more of Nagbe.

    Wouldn’t mind not seeing Diskerud for a long while.

    Yedlin was forgettable.

    I like Bobby Wood alright. Had some nice touches and combinations.

    Reply
    • for those who thought the call was good and
      castillo was a good player and he was
      playing well in the league mx there’s the
      answer. it was horrible, it remains now hope
      that the next line up I better put this:
      Guzan
      Yedlin
      Birnbaum
      Cameron
      Castillo no other options
      Beckerman
      Bradley
      Finlay
      Nguyen
      Zardes
      Wood

      Reply
      • If I’m being honest I still do t see what JK does in Zardes for him to be consistently called in. His touch is the worst(had a horrible touch again as soon as he came on that could have led to a goal), his runs are unimpressive and ist times he looks like a chicken with his head cut off. I like him, don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t think he deserves to be a automatic call up. Maybe it’s down to “who else do we call in” but I think he still needs more game time with his club and a stable position instead of being moved around so much. It’s time to faze Dempsey out and I agree with some of you that maybe MB90 needs to come off the bench. Very disappointing result to say the least but not unexpected given JK’s bizarre call ups of out of form players and consistently playing guys out of position. On the bright side I thought Nagbe was fantastic, he needs to be starting, how on earth Nguyen wasn’t played in any capacity is beyond me.

  27. What was Michael Bradley doing on that goal kick? The defense was asleep because they were watching the ball come to Bradley for what should have been a routine header and he either inexplicably flicked it on or whiffed on it (I couldn’t tell if he got a touch)

    Reply
      • I watched in English and the commentators didn’t mention Bradley’s role in that goal. They just kept blaming the backs for being asleep. But I agree with Guwinster. I put very little blame on the backs for that goal and almost all of the blame on Bradley,

    • Yeah, if I’m a defender, I’m letting Ruiz make his run in behind me. I would think that the only way that ball makes it through to Ruiz is if it gets flicked on. In which case Ruiz is off-side. A ball shouldn’t just bounce right through the midfield’s area of control like that.

      Reply
      • Ruiz wasn’t offside when the ball was flicked. He was just running unmarked right between the defenders. Tough to blame MB for that one.

      • “Ruiz wasn’t offside when the ball was flicked. He was just running unmarked right between the defenders. Tough to blame MB for that one.”

        Ummm.. MB was under no pressure on a goal kick and he’s the one who flicked it through for some bizarre reason.

      • I forced myself to watch it again, I think Bradley wiffs, but it doesn’t matter Orozco has him onside at that moment. However, I’m pretty positive Mix gets a touch on it at which point Ruiz is a step and a half-offside. But it would have been a pretty amazing call had the linesman caught it.

      • If the only players to touch it were US players deflecting it, it does not matter if he was in an offside position when they touched it or not. The only thing that matters is where he was when the keeper kicked it.

      • Caught me, you are correct if either Mix or MB touched it is irrelevant, but it might have also touched whoever challenged Mix for the ball.

  28. Ok. This caps off an all around deflating day of soccer for me. I haven’t seen the US game yet as I’m heading home from Canada-Mexico. You bring up a great point. Dempsey often looks disinterested. When he is in one of these moods it’s like playing a man down. And Bradley, why won’t he play defense. He’ll challenge the ball, but after it is released he just drifts around watching his outnumbered teammates. I’ve seen people on here defend him saying he’s covering passing lanes. He’s not. If Dempsey is mentally switched off and Beadley bounces around midfield aimlesslly, how will we beat any decent teams?

    Reply
    • I think that’s the biggest reason Bradley kind of been forced into this Attacking Mid role. It’s mostly because he just isn’t a good defender.

      Reply
      • Then what exactly is he? Because the dude has no creativity or skill to be atracking midfielder. I think it’s better to sit him, jk has no idea what lineup to put out in order to accommodate this player who is not that good.

      • then what exactly is he good at? i always thought he was a defensive mid. People keep saying that bradley is our best player and i just don’t see it. I think JK needs to bench him. It seems that the reason why JK keeps experimenting with lineups is because he’s trying to find a setup to get the best out of bradley, but the reality is, bradley is not that good

  29. I’ve been a JK apologist for the last year or so. I questioned it with our play in the gold cup, I really started questioning it when we lost to Jamaica on home soil.

    I’m done being a JK apologist. He’s been experimenting for 5 years now. Pick a freaking lineup! I’m done. He needs to go.

    We beat Italy, Netherlands, Germany (twice!) under JK. I just can’t any more. He’s a good trainer, motivator, leader for young players…but the guy can’t put together a lineup to save his life. Why experiment constantly? Especially when the World Cup is on the line.

    Reply
    • Besler and Brooks were injured that caused the main experiment, but how he thought Orozco at CB and Cameron at RB and not the other way around was a good idea is beyond me.

      Reply
      • Actually that was not so out of bounds. For the better part of 3 years Cameron has played RB at Stoke. He played most of one season at CB only because Shawcross had a serious injury that kept him out about 6 months, so Cameron has probably played more games in the EPL at RB than at any other position. As for Orozco, when he does play (he hasn’t played much lately) I think he has played CB most often in Liga MX. Klinsmann has stated in the past that he would have brought Orozco to Brazil as a CB if he hadn’t been injured. Orozco played well there in 2013 and 2015. In the following player profile you will see that Orozco’s position is given as CB. http://www.transfermarkt.com/michael-orozco/profil/spieler/58599

      • Cameron has been our best CB option when healthy over the last six months and Orozco didn’t perform well there in limited duty against Iceland and hasn’t played any for Tijuana. That’s why I say that, somewhere else on here I defend that neither was out of position just feel they would have performed better in each other’s role.

    • Totally agree. I was so psyched when we won those friendlies in Europe. Thought he had finally found the formula. Typical Klinsmann — he never played that lineup again. Germany rolled their eyes when we hired him, and they were dead on right. Prior to the US, Klinsmann’s total coaching experience was two years as head coach of the German national team and 10 months as the head coach of Bayern Munich. He claimed to have voluntarily left the German national team, but many have said he was pushed out. Bayern Munich fired him unceremoniously 10 months into his first season there, and he was blasted afterwards by players for having no game strategy other than fitness. His final matches with Bayern Munich, to quote the German press,”had been accompanied by shouts of “Klinsmann raus” (“Klinsmann out”) from the stands”. The German national team surged after he left, as did Bayern Munich. Obviously those players thrived with him gone. Ours will too. RAUS.

      Reply
  30. Their second goal came off a goal kick not a corner kick I believe. Also I think it was Zardes whose open shot was kick saved.
    And yeah worst MNT performance in ages. Can’t wait for Copa America.
    Sigh…

    Reply
    • Unless JK can be term limited somehow, he isn’t going anywhere. Perhaps the last JK apologists on the planet are at US Soccer.

      Reply
    • Why are you bringing politics into this (and I am not a Klinsman fan). Btw, are you one of those annoying people that blame Obama for everything they perceive bad then in contradiction turn and preach taking responsibility for one’s own actions?

      Reply
    • USA crashed out in 06 and USA crashed out in 08.
      In both cases Obama and Klinsman righted wrongs.

      Drop the flat out incorrect BS

      Reply
      • US “crashed out in 06”? – Yes but JK wasn’t in charge the next time, BB was. And in 10 we got to the round of 16 and lost to a superior team in extra time. In other words exactly the same result JK got in Brazil but BB was paid about 1/4 of the price and was touted as a genius brought to save backwards Americans from themselves.

    • It can be tempting to bring up non-soccer related politics here. For one thing it’s on a lot of our minds, has flooded into many aspects of the media we like to consume, and is a big part of the current dialogue with many people, friends and strangers alike. (At least in the US, currently)

      Please pause that urge whenever you feel it here. I come here to read, hear, and watch soccer stuff, and I can safely assume that’s the inspiration for the overwhelming majority of SBIers. I don’t care about your gender, age, race, religion, looks, abilities … I especially don’t care about your political views. And it’s not just that I don’t care, but I almost actively don’t want to know. I want to like or dislike you based on your opinions about soccer things. Everything else usually adds nothing to the discussion of the article or things related.

      Keep it in your pants for five seconds.

      Reply
  31. How about we question the play of our supposed “best players”???
    Bradley doesn’t even deserve to start anymore….when did he last play a quality game
    for the US? Dempsey just looks disinterested all around and likes real drive in his play.
    Out with the old and in with the new.
    Enough with blaming Klinsman’s tactics. How about our players actually stepping up??

    Reply
    • That’s fair, although I thought Dempsey had his moments. The players deserve blame too and it wasn’t JK’s fault Ruiz just strolled right through the US defense for the second goal.

      But Bradley and Mix together has been tried and has failed – there was no reason to try it again. The commentator on Bein was right – if JK is going to insist on MB playing higher up the field, then Beckermann (or some other #6) should be partnered with him. Once Mix came off at HT, the US performance was much better. The first 45 minutes were about as bad as I can remember from a US team.

      There is every chance this team doesn’t get out of this group unless this con artist is fired. I still doubt it’ll happen.

      Reply
      • I didn’t really think he was playing higher up the field, he seemed to be sucked back between Orozco and Gonzo in the first half to me. Maybe once they started to bunker around 30 minutes or so. I bet his passing percentage was pretty good, since all he did was pass it back all night.

      • I was with you until that last sentence. Although I agree that we may not make it out, I’m just not sure bringing in a new coach would pay off in time to change what’s going to happen either way.
        I’m also not a fan of creating negative nicknames for popular figures, or anyone for that matter, but I do sometimes do it ironically exaggerated when I’m trying to be humorous.

      • We seems to keep blaming the other party – but who has Bradley paired up with well for the USMNT (besides Beckerman who is getting on in age)
        Bradley/Jones
        Bradley/Mix
        Bradley/Morales
        Bradley/Williams
        Bradley/Bedoya

        None work well…maybe it says more about Mikey than the others…

        I have a modest suggestion how about a Cameron/Bradley/Nagbe mid 3 with Nagbe in attack, Bradley box-to-box and cameron on the #6

        OR like people have mentioned, maybe MB90 just needs to not start anymore.

    • Well, therein lies the problem. It’s JK who picks the team, if they are not ready, or substandard, you can blame the players, but with the depth and the wealth of talent the JK can draw from, in he MLS and abroad, the players he “chooses” are NOT getting the job done. It’s the same out-of-form retreads we have been seeing for too long.

      If we are going to change for the better, we need to change at he top. I am kinda hoping we don’t qualify or get to the hexagonal, we can get rid of Gulati who somehow keeps Klinsmann around like he is going to do something great.

      It’s not like we got surprised by Guatemala. We have been playing these teams forever. How old is Carlos Ruiz now? Must be 37-38 and has been around and in-and-out of the MLS at least 5 times. We should not ever be losing to these lower level teams. We have around 20x the population and 20 x the money, as is the depth of US soccer.

      It now looks like, playing like we are now, we will do a three-and-out at the Centenario, if that happens and we take no steps to right the ship, not only can I see us NOT making the ’18 WC, but we will need a serious housecleaning starting with the USSF BOD, Gulati and of course, the men’s coaching staff.

      There is a battle right now between US Soccer and the most successful soccer team in the world, the US Womens National team with the USSF bringing suit against the team. Bad blood all around and where we punish success, we tolerate and invite mediocrity

      There is a serious cancer eating US Soccer.

      Reply
      • .” I am kinda hoping we don’t qualify or get to the hexagonal”
        You call yourself a fan? Pitiful.

      • Chris The LSU Tiger
        .” I am kinda hoping we don’t qualify or get to the hexagonal”
        You call yourself a fan? Pitiful.

        We’ll get the top pick in the next national team draft though.

    • It wasn’t six even if your stretching, don’t take the author’s word for some of those position they weren’t very accurate.
      Dempsey was up top with Wood (both SBI writers said so in the live commentary)
      Bradley was playing deeper than Mix most of the time it was much more a flat 4-4-2 than the diamond so both were in normal positions
      Bedoya plays both the wing and CM for Nantes regularly
      Castillo is a LB Gonzalez is a CB
      Howard is a GK
      Orozco used to play both CB and RB so I’ll give you out of position because you know not dressed is his current most common spot
      Yedlin out of position at least according to Seattle and Sunderland
      Cameron hasn’t played RB this year to my knowledge, but he has played it quite a bit over the years for Stoke and the Nats.
      If you want to add Zardes off the bench fine, but that pushed Yedlin to defense so its a wash.

      By my count that’s three, and really Orozco and Cameron, I’m stretching. I would have switched Cameron and Orozco, but playing out of position wasn’t our problem tonight. Playing poorly in the positions we were put in was and JK should be fired anyway.

      Reply
      • From what I observed, JK had Bedoya on the left, while he plays centrally or on the right for club; Yedlin at mid, while he plays right back for club; Cameron at RB, while he mostly plays CB for club; orozco at CB, while he doesn’t play for club; Mix as a more Dmid while he plays underneath the forwards for club; and Bradley underneath the strikers while he plays Dmid for club. By my count that’s 6. Plus, you could add in that Dempsey’s been playing on the left side of a three man forward line for club but I didn’t count him because his best position is the second striker spot he played tonight.

        Being played out of position doesn’t excuse the exceptionally poor performances. But it doesn’t play to their comfort and strengths and consequently doesn’t put them in a position to succeed.

      • I’ll give you Bedoya for 4, but Bradley played a much high CAM for Toronto all last year, but has dropped to essentially his space he played tonight this season for all three games, and Mix was not playing Dmid, I’m not sure what sport he was playing perhaps it was some traditional Norwegian game, but it wasn’t soccer. None of those guys you list were playing positions that they haven’t played or aren’t familiar with. This wasn’t like Acosta for the U23s that looked lost playing LB. Don’t blame JK for putting players out of position blame him for not having any idea how to use any player in that position.

      • I can see from some comments that some people really haven’t followed US players very long or very closely. You are generally correct on players out of position. Whether you are in a position you prefer or not, that should not change how hard you play and if you can make an accurate pass or win a ball, etc. I wish the only problem tonight was players out of position, but the problems go way beyond that.

      • Gary-not quite sure how you extrapolate that i haven’t followed US soccer or the players very long by my comments about the players being played out of positions they normally play for their clubs. Have all the players I listed played those positions before? Absolutely. Have those players been playing those positions for their clubs recently? No. Just because they’ve played there before (usually for Klinsmann) doesn’t mean they’re not “out of position.” Klinsmann consistently starts guys out of position and doesn’t learn from it. When was the last game Yedlin had a solid performance in midfield? Granted, he’s had some moments, but his best performance in a US jersey came in the Belgium game at RB (the position he consistently plays for his club). When was the last time the Mix/Bradley CM duo worked? Hell, what was the last game Mix had a positive influence on as a starter? Did Bedoya struggle when he played left mid at the WC? Has Cameron had his best performances in a US jersey at CB or RB? Has Zardes done anything that makes you think he’s an international caliber outside mid? Does Orozco’s recent run of not playing for TJ give you confidence that he’d be ready to start in a qualifier? I don’t remember Arena or Bradley starting multiple guys out of position. Bradley starting Bocanegra at LB comes to mind, but that’s one guy.

        Of course the problems go way beyond players not playing their preferred positions. But my point is that it’s at the heart of the problem because it puts us at a disadvantage from the opening whistle. Klinsmann’s constant tinkering (starting lineups, positional changes) leads to a lack of continuity and players not being comfortable with their roles. Have we started the same back line two games in a row since the opening two games of the WC?

        The US team has always (well in the modern era) been greater than the some of its parts. I’d argue that’s because previous managers have played to the players’ strengths and put them in positions to succeed. We’ve always been solid on set pieces (we gave up two tonight). Defending set pieces is all about understanding your role and where the other guys on your team are going to be.

        Johnny, your points about Mix’s and Bradley’s positioning are well taken. They both seemed to drop back deep tonight. I’d still argue they were played out of position. Klinsmann made comments this week, and has in the past, that he wants Mix to be the deeper of the two and Bradley driving the attack. That pairing has never worked. Bradley likes to get the ball deep so he’s constantly dropping back. Whereas Mix likes to get the ball closer to goal and create but he has been instructed to sit back so he doesn’t get forward. That’s on Klinsmann.

  32. Before this game people on here were saying let Brooks and Yedlin play for U23s because it doesn’t matter who we play against Guatemala. If it wasn’t obvious already, it is now – as long as this con artist is in charge, the USMNT can lose to anyone, anywhere. Then again, I’m just a clueless American soccer fan. Maybe that performance was actually awesome, good thing I have JK to explain it all to me.

    In all seriousness, are there any JK apologists out there any more?

    Reply
    • Why are you blaming Klinsman alone when the player are the ones who played? There were some player selection mistakes that Klinsman made (and he is at fault for that), but the players made serious mistakes and played without urgency.

      I do not blame Klinsman for Beasler and Brooks being hurt which caused last minute defensive chnages, but I DO BLAME Klinsman for sticking with Diskerud (who was at fault for the 1st goal in conjunction with Tim Howard). I blame the entire defense for being asleep on a goal kick. Then I blame Klinsman for not having another creative option in midfield (should have been Bradley and Nagbe in the middle).

      Reply
      • See below – I’m not blaming him alone. The players play and deserve plenty of blame. But JK deserves some blame as well for not putting players in position to succeed. And for continuing to pick Mix! Why?!

        The coach has to get some blame in a situation like this. The US has better players than Guatemala. By a lot. But if you just watched that game you would think the exact opposite.

      • He’s the one selecting the team. There are no attacking/creative midfielders being called and then he complains that the team doesn’t create enough

      • There is plenty of blame to go around here that everyone shares and no one is exempt. Klinsmann made a number of errors AND the team played poorly and with no heart and little intensity for most of the game. Both players and coach are to blame for that. The coach should have had them better prepared and if you can’t play hard in a World Cup qualifying match for your country you are one sorry excuse for a soccer/football player. Especially during the first half it’s like the whole team forgot how to play the game and their passing was atrocious. I say a pox on all their houses. I am totally disgusted with the team from the coach on down. One thing I’m sure the coach did not do was to tell them, whatever you do, leave Carlos Ruiz unmarked, even on long balls. Utterly ridiculous.

      • JK has to go. If his defenders are down to the excuse of the coach isn’t on the field so can’t be blamed, then why are we paying this high a coaching salary? He has to go.

    • Oh shut up with this “as long as this con artist is in charge” teenage hyperbolic vitriol. What you’ve failed to understand is this type of nonsense actually creates “apologists” because of the ridiculous pendulum you swing the opposite way.

      If you can muster up the fortitude to discontinue your xenophobic immaturity and actually relay some rationale thoughts I actually look forward to reading it – even when I know I’ll disagree with it.

      Reply
      • Old School, care to explain what was in That first post that was xenophobic? Time to put up or shut up. There is nothing xenophobic about calling a coach a con-artist. You can’t get away with screaming xenophobia because someone criticized the coach who happens to be from another country. No hiding behind those kinds of words to try to discredit someone else. You don’t agree that he is a con artist, fair enough. State that, but don’t claim that the other guy must be xenophobic for having had enough of the coach and his habit of declaring that when the team plays poor it really had some positives that American fans just dont appreciate.

      • Well there you go. At least one apologist left out there. At least it is good to know he is an apologist “created” by someone else’s hyperbole.

      • Rory, Bringer of Doubt
        Old School, care to explain what was in That first post that was xenophobic?

        Grab a chair and read the boards or contribute more than once every couple weeks. If you need clarification on why slowleftfarm is labeled xenophobic, you have the resources available on this website in spades.

        If you want the information, go looking. If you’re that out of touch, then don’t jump into the fray.

      • Pirithous
        Well there you go. At least one apologist left out there.

        Hardly so. I think this loss should bring serious talks to discuss the potential and immediate dismissal of Klinsmann. If decided otherwise, anything less than 3 points in the return should be sayonara.

      • Rory, I’ll stick up for both here. Old School is correct in that Slow has in the past shown some xenophobic remarks towards JK and players with foreign parents. That being said I haven’t noticed any of these in quite awhile, I want to say since last Summer when he was called on it. Seems like both posters were taking their angry from that debacle of a performance out on the blog.

      • Old school:
        Sorry I don’t keep up to date on everything people say in the comment section. I’d dare say the vast majority of sbi readers don’t read the comments much past the first couple anyway.

        But in any case if you’ve got a long-standing beef with another poster that forms your responses to everything he says then you should be made aware of how it looks to all the people who just read your post without knowing the backstory of your fued/obsession.

        In any case, your reply to him was not a rebuttal, it was a personal attack and allegation that seemed to be out of place.

        As for the topic at hand, who is to blame when a team will get up to play the glamour friendlies but not get up to play the minnows it must play in qualification? I think in college basketball the coach gets more of the blame for not coaching up the team. Maybe you can say that Klinsmann doesn’t have the pool to work with but I think Klinsmann is the problem. Too many players have been shoe-horned into positions they don’t play which not only confuses them or sets them up to fail, but it also means that Klinsmann is not given experience/chances to the guys who actually play that position weekly. Beasley was a stop-gap fullback that seemed to work even last year but that meant we weren’t passing the torch on and we are getting some growing pains in that position. That’s just one example. But Diskerud is really not holding up his end of the deal and Klinsmann should be aware of that by now.

        I don’t know where we turn if we fire Klinsmann. I mean, everybpossibility seems a couple years away from being ready (Pereja in a couple years could try to deliver what we thought we were getting with Klinsmann). So we would likely need a coach of sheer willpower to get us out of the hole that Klinsmann would have to have put us in before he would ever get fired, so I’m assuming it would involve Arena parachuting in to save the day.

        But in any case, Klinsmann seems like a coach who can’t decide on his best eleven and one who can’t get the team ready to play an underdog.

      • My remarks are not xenophobic. I’m just tired of the fact that the con artist’s sole strategy for improving this team is convincing a bunch of passport Americans to choose the USMNT. I shouldn’t say “choose” really because in pretty much every case they aren’t good enough to play for their actual countries. This is against the spirit of international football and is not excepted in many other places.

        The only such player out there yesterday was Mix, who was terrible as usual, so as with most JK apologists you’ve chosen to focus on something irrelevant because you can’t defend your hero.

      • Definitely a trend for Old School to label someone as xenophobic.

        Last week on a different thread Old School accused me of being xenophobic because I dared to question whether Julian Green should be considered a current USMNT player.

        Seems like it’s his defense mechanism to protect his admiration for Klinsmann and/or Green.

      • Definitely a trend for Old School to label someone as xenophobic.

        Last week on a different thread Old School accused me of being xenophobic because I dared to question whether Julian Green should be considered a current USMNT player.

        You have severe reading comprehension issues or may be trying to twist the true dialogue. Luckily, it’s available via link: http://sbisoccer.com/2016/03/report-julian-green-linked-to-ac-milan

        Never once have I referred to you, SoccerDad as “xenophobic”. To say otherwise is delusional or dishonest. My commentary was a general response to the negativity associated with Julian Green not being considered a “real American” by (guess who?) slowleftfarm.

        Oops. It’s a funny thing when facts and links discredit your narrative.

        Your disagreement on the correct “label’ for Green was skewed by your lack of willingness to call Julian Green a “USMNT international” because he hasn’t been called up recently and I provided you a wealth of links to educate you that isn’t an isolated term I’m exclusively using.

        As for slowleftfarm playing footsie with the echo chamber, when you can disassociate yourself from statements like: “passport Americans” or “not real Americans” you’ll be addressed in an actual discussion. I don’t run from debates or conversations, but I’m not giving respect to someone that has posted some of the filth you call opinions.

      • I don’t recall saying “not real Americans” although maybe you can find some link if you search hard enough. I know how has used that term though – Danny Williams. I guess he’s a raging xenophobe too.

        Passport Americans is a convenient term for players who are eligible for the USMNT by virtue of their passport instead of having lived here. Do you really think it’s in the spirit of international football to cap someone who’s barely ever even been in the US, let alone lived here? I sure don’t. Anyway, this has nothing to do with whether JK should stay on as USMNT manager after this latest debacle. Apparently my opinion bothers some people so much they have to bring it up all the time. Weird.

      • I don’t recall saying “not real Americans” although maybe you can find some link if you search hard enough.

        Fortunately, the effort you assumed would be “hard” was actually quite easy considering how often you immerse yourself in some fugue state of ignorance. Here you go: If they never come and live in the US then I’d say no they aren’t really American.-sloftleftfarm

        Passport Americans is a convenient term for players who are eligible for the USMNT by virtue of their passport instead of having lived here.

        I want to introduce you to someone who disagrees with that “convenient term”. Please read the following: Yes, my view is you need some meaningful connection to the US but it doesn’t matter if you’re foreign born.”.

        Just to clarify, that was your own words in the exact same thread. Having a parent(s) serve the country isn’t a “meaningful” connection? Do you actually read your posts or am I correct about the fugue state you go within on this subject?

        There’s nothing “weird” about your ignorance. What is “weird” is you posting your thoughts, sentiments and general opinions and believing you’re exempt from being called out on it each and every time. As a “real American”, I would have assumed you understood freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences and ridicule.

        I can only imagine the regret experience by SoccerDad having nuzzled up with you, unaware of the ignorance he associated himself with. Unfortunately for both of you, I can provide links to refute each of your hollow and dishonest responses.

        Speaking of: http://sbisoccer.com/2015/12/wambach-calls-for-u-s-soccer-to-fire-klinsmann

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