Klinsmann criticism shouldn’t come at the expense of noting the problem is much larger than him.
Andrew Marcinko
Scant seconds had passed after the final whistle signaled Mexico’s 3-2 extra time victory over the U.S. Men’s National Team, and already timelines, newsfeeds, and mobile alerts across the nation filled with oh-so-clickable headlines.
The former World Cup-winning forward who went on to manage Germany’s National Team to a 3rd place finish and undefeated Group Stage in the 2006 World Cup couldn’t tactician his way out of a paper bag, they opined. Not to mention, he’s a habitual liar and probable psychopath. 32 SHOCKING Pictures that Prove Why Jürgen Klinsmann Definitely Needs to be Fired! Okay, that last one wasn’t real, but you get the picture.
Days passed, and some of the more thoughtful writers out there offered their more measured takes, including our own Neil Blackmon. Still, the social media consensus remained persistently shallow: Klinsmann is the root of all of the USMNT’s problems, and the only solution is a new manager.
In a one-match vacuum, it’s hard to see what all the fuss was about. It took a 118th minute wonder-goal for a more talented Mexican side to win, playing a virtual home game in front of a decidedly pro-Mexican crowd of over 90,000. Of course, matches aren’t played in a vacuum (the players would likely be killed), and the tide of popular opinion has been turning against Jürgen Klinsmann since the USMNT’s dismal performance in this summer’s Gold Cup.
It has to be said, the German manager brought much of this on himself, given his grandiose claims about changing forever the style of soccer played by the traditionally tenacious but rarely refined Americans. The American soccer gentry wasn’t all that concerned with style when we were winning matches and somehow escaping the Group of Death in Brazil, outside of the occasional snarky tweet. But with the current three month stretch of particularly questionable form, the tides have certainly turned.
No one would argue that there was any hint of some new, stylish version of The Beautiful Game on display against Mexico. Should that be such a source of mockery for Klinsmann though? One could easily argue that the bunker-and-counter tactics that nearly took the more talented Mexican side to penalty kicks may have given the U.S. its best chance to win. Jozy Altidore found space for two blasts on goal that were only just blocked, and Michael Bradley had a golden opportunity from the top of the box, which he squandered. Say what you will, but in his first-ever loss to Mexico, Klinsmann put the Yanks in a position to win, however ugly and undeserved it would have been.
For the sake of this article, though, let’s leave the question of Jürgen Klinsmann’s job security for another day. In reality, Sunil Gulati has made it publicly known that only a truly disastrous start to World Cup qualifying would see Klinsmann sacked anyway. However, the USMNT has a number of big-picture issues that aren’t solely due to Jürgen’s purported incompetence.
Passing of the Torch
Landon Donovan has retired, DaMarcus Beasley has tried to do the same, and it’s becoming abundantly clear the Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, and Kyle Beckerman have neared the point where they don’t have much to offer the National Team. Xavi, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, and Carles Puyol represented comparably foundational players at similar points in their careers for Spain in 2014, and the defending World Cup Champions failed to escape the group stage in Brazil. Go ahead, have a chuckle at the comparison, but both groups feature three players among the top ten capped all-time for their countries’, and Beckerman and Jones together make up more caps than Silva.
No one’s saying Kyle Beckerman is America’s Xavi, but the point is this degree of generational change would be an immense challenge for any soccer nation in the world, and there’s no easy answer for Klinsmann. There simply aren’t enough young players with the experience to step in and win big games consistently right now, and no manager could have changed that in the 15 months that have passed since Brazil.
Fortunately, though CONCACAF has certainly come a long way in the last decade, the United States are still more than capable of qualifying for the World Cup with a few hiccups and rough stretches along the way. The Yanks will take their knocks and pick up as many points as possible in the early qualifiers, while hopefully gaining the likes of Gyasi Zardes, Bobby Wood, John Brooks, DeAndre Yedlin, and many others essential competitive match experience.
Dempsey Fades
It was easy to think following the 2014 World Cup that Clint Dempsey still had plenty to offer the USMNT. He was only 31, fairly fit, and still the most talented attacking player in the U.S. pool.
Looking at it now, however, it seems apparent that he’ll almost certainly be out of the picture by 2018, and may only play a minimal role in World Cup Qualifying. The central issue, as I see it, is the Texan’s total positional inflexibility. Donovan, Bocanegra, and even Claudio Reyna found extended relevance with the USMNT through their ability to transition to a different position to better suit their changing (read: diminishing) skill sets. Dempsey, however, offers no such solution.
The Sounders man has never been a particularly elite passer for a number 10, and at this point, he also lacks the speed and power to really pair well with Jozy Altidore as a pure striker. The poacher’s mentality and space-finding skill is still there, and I have no doubt he’ll be an MLS all-star for years to come, but he simply doesn’t fit the system well anymore for the USMNT.
Fortunately, against most CONCACAF opposition, the U.S. will have enough of a talent edge to utilize two pure strikers. Jozy Altidore is still the most talented American attacker in the pool, but Bobby Wood, Aron Johannsson, Rubio Rubin, and a handful of others stand as interesting potential partners, while the continued development of Jordan Morris and Zardes will be intriguing to watch. Finding someone who can play a more withdrawn attacking role effectively against top-tier competition still remains a major challenge. Aron Johannsson has the potential to evolve into that role, with any of the Bradley/Bedoya/Diskeruud trio capable in a pinch.
Dempsey’s ability to single-handedly change games will surely be tempting to Klinsmann as qualifying grinds on. It would be my suggestion that he commit early on to only starting Deuce in dire circumstances, lest any of his potential young replacements miss out on valuable match experience.
The German Problem
If there’s one thing the #SoccerTwitter illuminati will begrudgingly give Jürgen Klinsmann credit for, it’s the talented German-American players he’s managed to recruit to represent the Red, White, and Blue. However, even that isn’t going so well for Klinsy at the moment. When it rains, it pours.
Fabian Johnson played very poorly against Mexico, and was then summarily excused by Klinsmann, who implied that he had asked to be taken out of the match in extra time when he wasn’t truly injured. That fiasco aside, the on-field performances from undoubtedly one of the most talented American players have been mixed of late.
Timothy Chandler remains unable to contribute consistently, with injury this time the culprit following a run of excellent form with Frankfurt. John Brooks failed to crack the starting XI against Mexico, as he’s been inconsistent in numerous opportunities since his game-winner in Brazil. Julian Green didn’t even warrant a call-up for the U-23 Olympic Qualifying team and is currently languishing somewhere in the depths of Bayern Munich’s developmental system. Gedion Zelalem was relegated to the bench on that same U-23 team. Yikes.
Klinsmann showed U.S. fans a path to international relevance with his relentless and successful recruitment of dual-nationals. While it paid off in Brazil, it’s hard to see much benefit at all at the moment.
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While I don’t think it’s unfair at this point to question Klinsmann’s leadership as Technical Director or his tactics as Manager, I do think it’s important to acknowledge that some of the USMNT’s current issues aren’t solely on him. It will be how well he’s able to deal with these problems over the next year or so that will truly decide his fate.
Andrew Marcinko writes for MLS.Com, SB Nation’s Orlando City site “The Mane Land”, and The Yanks Are Coming. He lives in Birmingham, England. Follow him on Twitter @Andrew_Marcinko.