Reviews

Klinsmann Built The Team to Survive a Night Like This

6/16/2014

Grant Park, Chicago. Does the US Care About Soccer? Photo by Greg Amante

Jürgen Klinsmann is a pragmatist, not an egotist. He built this American soccer team on the needs of a three-match first round, which demands endurance and strength and youth.

When Klinsmann left Landon Donovan off the squad going to Brazil, it was no act of domination, showing who was boss. I thought he was wrong, and still do, because, as a lot of people have said, sometime in this first round the USA just might need somebody to bust a goal, late.

Then again, they did that Monday in the steam bath of Natal, and it came from one of the five German-Americans, players with two passports, Klinsmann recruited to this team. John Brooks, 21 years old, with a father from Illinois and a mother from Berlin, inserted at halftime because of injury, popped in a header in the 86th minute for a 2-1 victory over Ghana.

This would not have been Donovan’s kind of game. But the next one against Portugal, or the one after that against Germany, might be the place where a wise, fleet attacker could pull out a draw, or a victory, to get the Americans into the round of 16, now a possibility.

When the Donovan debate was going on – and maybe it still is, since I am bringing it up here – I never could summon up any vitriol toward Klinsmann’s impact on this team. His credentials are too good. He was a fast and wily forward who scored World Cup goals, won a World Cup as a player and coached a third-place German team in 2006. “He knows stuff,” I told people. “He is no fool. He may think Donovan is soft, or past it. I think he’s wrong. But he’s a good coach.”

The USA has had other good coaches. Bruce Arena coached two of the best matches the USA has ever played, over Mexico and a bitter loss to Germany in 2002. (Klinsmann, uninvolved, thought the USA outplayed his homeland.) Bob Bradley had a team that scored a desperation goal against Algeria in 2010 -- yes, the Donovan goal. Now Klinsmann has done something neither of them did. He has beaten Ghana in the World Cup.

The Portugal match? They have injuries and a red card absence by the hot-headed Pepe. Klinsmann will put together a team for Sunday. He knows what he is doing. Now it is time for the players to recuperate. And us.

Your thoughts?

John Brooks Moved Up for the Header

Fredric Bear

6/16/2014 02:23:37 pm

Thrilling, agonizing, inspired. The hamstrings, the cramping, Bradley's unexpected struggle, the Ghanaians' relentless push forward, 3 goals of quality: we can only hope the rest of the saga is as engrossing.

6/16/2014 02:24:04 pm

They came back against Slovenia in 2010, not Algeria.

George Vecsey

6/16/2014 02:47:23 pm

Thanks, they did. For the Algeria match, I meant they came up with a late desperation goal against Algeria.... will fix. GV

Ed Martin

6/16/2014 02:24:56 pm

No profundities from this average fan. During the second half it seemed a Ghana goal was inevitable. Almost all the time was in the US defensive zone, and with 9 players back no real offensive pressure was possible. The strategy with a 1-0 lead seemed the best bet. The US did not display the ball-handling, offensive skills demonstrated by first round winners so far, but on defense they tougher it out. When Ghana scored I hoped for a 1-1, and when US scored it reminded me of US beating Russia in the Olympic hockey classic. I held my breath the last five minutes. Whew!

Altenir Silva

6/16/2014 02:54:07 pm

Dear George,

I want to congratulate the USA. Nice game and beautiful win versus Ghana. The WC promises many emotions.

Have a good week,

Altenir (from Rio)

Brian Savin

6/16/2014 03:12:09 pm

OK, I admit I am inexpert in this sport, but you gave us all the opening equally to opine, George, so allow my 2¢: The tying goal seemed to me to be the inevitable result of the lack of aggressiveness (and perhaps confidence) of the American team over an agonizingly lengthy period of time. I doubt that Donovan would have allowed that psyche to exist on the field had he been on the field. The winning header was well executed, but everything had to go perfectly, as it did. Overall, I tend to think the coach was lucky and the game as much proved he was wrong to exclude Donovan as right. As Yogi might have said, 90 percent of this game is half mental and I'm not sure I saw enough mental toughness from the team on that field to give me confidence for the ensuing games. Maybe, hopefully, the victory will change that for the better. Nothing succeeds like success.

Alan Rubin link

6/16/2014 03:21:40 pm

Both the Netherlands and the US won games when the other teams controlled the possession for roughly 2/3 of the game.

It is who makes the key plays when necessary. Both teams had defensive lapses, but recovered.

I know that I can be pain when it comes to keepers, but teams play with more confidence when they are on their game. Howard did not have many difficult saves, but he covered nicely on a low shot that was deflected to the side and his clearing punch near the end was firm and again off to the side.

The US should make the round of sixteen..

Brian Savin

6/16/2014 03:32:41 pm

Alan, there were very few similarities between the two games to my mind. It simply didn't take the Dutch all that long to score when they had the ball. And when Spain had the ball, it wasn't much around the Dutch goal, contrary to our game.

John McDermott

6/16/2014 04:30:02 pm

This was game was a grind and played in tough conditions. It will have taken a toll on the guys who slogged it out. We might not see Altidore again at this World Cup, if my own experience with hamstring injuries is any guide. Hopefully Besler and Bedoya will be fully fit in a matter of a few days. So we got three points. Well done. But I'm concerned about what we did not do today which was develop much in the way of a cohesive attack in the middle of the field. A lot of this had to do with Michael Bradley. I know he worked his butt off today, but what is most needed from him is that attacking thrust to hold the ball and get it into the final third of the field. In that regard he fell short today. Playing both Beckerman and Jones, who were excellent today, was supposed to free up Bradley for a more attacking role. We need to figure out why what seemed to work so well against Nigeria didn't really work at all today. If we are going to beat Portugal Michael Bradley needs to have a much better day.

Altenir Silva

6/17/2014 12:24:17 am

Dear George,
This situation reminds me of Mr. Scolari (Felipão) our coach in 2002, when he took off Romario of the squad. I suppose that Mr. Klinsmann suffered the same pressure as Scolari until the first victory.
Best - Altenir (from Rio)

Wick Eisenberg

6/17/2014 07:54:35 am

People are attacking Jurgen and the team for the actual performance yesterday, but I am giving them all a pass- two injuries meant that two subs had to be made by halftime, and it could not have happened to two more critical players to our game plan. You also could not have gotten a worse performance out of Bradley- he was awful, especially in the passing department, you have to think he'll be better next game. Things didn't go according to plan, but the US still found a way to get all three points, a tremendous achievement.

One major point of concern though was the sheer exhaustion of a lot of the players. Fitness is normally a strength of the US's, it was shocking to see pretty much the entire team look exhausted. And it will only get worse from a climate perspective since they're heading into the Amazon jungle next. Hopefully they get that sorted out/Jurgen gives them extended rest because Ronaldo is surely going to kill us if we're as tired as we were by the 60th minute last night.

Portugal looked terrible yesterday. No shock Pepe got sent off- that was his twelfth straight red card of his career. Keep in mind, I said STRAIGHT RED, which doesn't count red cards given from earning two yellow cards in a game. For all his talent, Pepe is 1- a total nutcase and 2- a complete moron. Muller flopped initially no doubt, but why go in with your head like that in plain sight of the referee? Too stupid. But oh well, the US doesn't have to face him in Manaus which can only help because Portugal won't have their first team defense. It also has been made public that they've lost Fabio Coantrao, their starting left back (arguably the best left back in the world) for the entire tournament. That's a giant loss. Him and Ronaldo combining going forward on the left side is quite potent. They've also lost Hugo Almeida, their starting striker, for the whole tournament too. So that is 2 out of their 4 starting defenders out, and the striker who had the best understanding with Ronaldo among the list of casualties we will not have to face on Sunday. It's right there for the taking, if the US get a draw they'll be set. A win, and they'll be in dreamland.

Game on.

George Vecsey

6/17/2014 09:15:50 am

Thanks for the comment. I love Bradley...he's the guts of the team....but he was not in gear last night. Late in the game, he should have taken the ball into the right corner. Instead, he let loose a pass to the keeper, essentially. I can only assume he bonked (cycling term) from heat and humidity. He has such a high standard, that was shocking. I agree with you about the two injuries forcing Klinsmann's hand. Nice to hear from you. GV

Steve Kettmann

6/17/2014 08:12:31 am

Thanks, George, for the blog - keep them coming, and they can be longer, too! It's always excruciatingly difficult in building sports success to make hard choices about now versus later - Klinsmann hopes to get the U.S. team to a place where they can go into a World Cup as a team with more at stake than hoping to squeak through their group. I'd love to see Landon play for the U.S. in Brazil; but having more young players come along sooner pays dividends later. Personally, I think Tim Howard is going to carry the U.S. out of their group through will power, leadership and inspired play.

George Vecsey

6/17/2014 09:20:50 am

Steve, glad you got back to Mama's. There is something to preparing Green, Yedlin, Brooks, for near future. But a couple of injuries makes Donovan's absence a different case. You're right about Howard. He is a class act, played a terrific match -- and there's not much dropoff in the other two keepers. GV

Peter Bassett

6/17/2014 10:48:17 am

I'm unable to find any appropriate place to post regarding your book so I'm posting here....

George,
I have been reading your book and have found it quite amusing although obviously written primarily for an American audience. I was surprised by the comments regarding the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters in Chapter 8 as under…”England had a toxic image because of the stampede before the Juventus-Liverpool final for the European Cup in Brussels in 1985, which killed thirty-nine fans, England had a toxic image because of the stampede before the Juventus-Liverpool final for the European Cup in Brussels in 1985, which killed thirty-nine fans, and the panic in 1989, when nearly one hundred fans were crushed against unyielding gates in Sheffield. …”

Even a cursory google search would have shown that although crowd trouble was a contributory factor at Heysel of equal concern was the derelict condition of the stadium. Both teams appealed to have the game played elsewhere but EUFA refused. No soccer games were played at Heysel afterwards until it was demolished and re-built.

The Hillsborough disaster has been in the news extensively over the last few years with the results of various inquiries showing that the disaster was caused solely by the actions of South Yorkshire Police.

The 1990 official inquiry into the disaster, the Taylor Report, concluded that "the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control."

The Hillsborough Independent Panel, which in September 2012 concluded that no Liverpool fans were responsible for the deaths, and that attempts had been made by the authorities to conceal what happened, including the alteration by police of 116 statements relating to the disaster. The facts in the report prompted immediate apologies from Prime Minister David Cameron; the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, David Crompton; Football Association Chairman David Bernstein; and Kelvin MacKenzie, then-editor of The Sun, for their organisations' respective roles.

In September 2012, the Hillsborough Independent Panel concluded that up to 41 of the 96 fatalities might have been avoided had they received prompt medical treatment. The report revealed "multiple failures" by other emergency services and public bodies that contributed to the death toll. In response to the panel's report, the Attorney General for England and Wales, Dominic Grieve MP, confirmed he would consider all the new evidence to evaluate whether the original inquest verdicts of accidental death could be overturned. On 19 December 2012, a new inquest was granted in the High Court.

I’m very surprised at your fact checking in this respect for an author and as a journalist for the New York Times as a simple check of Wikipedia (above) would have cleared this up. The families of the Hillsborough 96 have been fighting to show the truth and your casual remark, with no checking would cause great offence. I trust a correction will be made as well as appropriate apologies.

http://hfsg.co.uk/

George Vecsey

6/17/2014 11:43:48 am

Dear Mr. Bassett, thanks for raising the question. I use the phrase "toxic image" in reference to the way Americans view soccer (not just English.) We all know that image is different from reality, and that is my point. American sports editors -- and readers -- were looking for Soccer Riot headlines. I know about the shoddy stadiums and lack of lock-cutting and wire-cutting materials in the standing-room area. As an annual visitor to England, I saw the standing areas at Centre Court at Wimbledon vanish under the same upgrading of conditions. I don't refer to that in the book -- maybe should have followed it to the conclusion -- but my point there is the American response to the only soccer news they got for decades, which was disaster and hooliganism. Your points are right...just not what I was doing (or suggesting) there.
Best, GV

peter bassett

6/17/2014 04:19:16 pm

Dear George,
Thank you for prompt reply, but you still don'#t gget it! You are linking both these disasters to hooliganism. Just because you're writing for an American audiences doesn't excuse inaccuracies or does it? It is now agreed by EVERYONE on this side of the Atlantic that the Hillsborough disaster was caused solely by the inemptitude of the South Yorkshire Police and that the fans were in no way responsible. There are now new inquests into these deaths with a likelihood of subsequent criminal prosecutions.

Your casual and continuing linking of these disasters to hooliganism is wrong and is offensive.

John McDermott

6/18/2014 07:23:34 am

Mr. Bassett-No one here doubts the welcome, if very late, conclusions of the Hillsborough Independent Panel. And the sensitivity of this issue, particularly on the part of friends and family of those died in Sheffield that day, not to mention all Liverpool fans, including me. But there can also be no doubt whatsoever as to the image of English fans in the years leading up to, and immediately after, Hillsborough. I experienced it first hand on many occasions and can say with conviction that "toxic' is understating the reality somewhat. Heysel was as correctly damning as Hillsborough was cruelly mistaken. I think you are missing George's point here, or simply don't want to hear or understand it. But you cannot look at Hillsborough out of the context of the time. And, unfair as it was, it was in part that context and the horrible image of the English "fans' of that era, which enable the press to get away with publishing misleading and incorrect reports and the police to perpetrate their self-serving and slanderous falsehoods.

George Vecsey

6/18/2014 11:57:18 am

Dear Mr. B: Nothing casual about what I wrote. Please look at my response. I used the word "image." I tried to explain my context to you. As far as your comment about inaccuracies and American audiences, frankly, I find that offensive. I don't dumb things down to anybody, domestic or international. GV

Bob Noonam

6/17/2014 02:31:07 pm

Seems to be a consensus that Bradley needs to play better, Howard a key, Klinsman capable, our fitness in game one questionable , and the win was important. Let's move on, play better, get to second round, and see what happens. Look what happened to NY Rangers.
Go USA

Alan Rubin link

6/17/2014 04:31:46 pm

It took less than a half in its first game for the USNMT to join all the other countries with an injury list. After such a great start, things began to unravel before the first half was over.

Klinsmann seems to have built his team and the players appear comfortable with it. With all the negatives mentioned in this topic, they still won. It is time for everyone one to step up regardless of their experience.

It may be as some have suggested that this will build for the future, but I’m sure that Klinsmann is operating in the present.

The big worry was the back line, which held fairly well, but the middle was not as expected. Winners regroup.

Portugal is also hurting, so there is reason for optimism. Prior to both teams injuries, and Portugal’s red card, I was more concerned with Ghana than Portugal.

It is out of our hands, so sit back and enjoy.

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Klinsmann Built The Team to Survive a Night Like This

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