Op-Ed: Klinsmann bashing unwarranted in the wake of Panama win
by Robert Burns, Prost USMNT Correspondent
Juergen Klinsmann could breathe a sigh of relief on Sunday afternoon after his U.S. squad beat a disjointed and frankly disappointing Panama side in Carson by a 2-0 score.
After a five-match winless streak that had the knives coming out from fans and media alike since the USA’s 3-2 loss to Chile two weeks ago, the Americans put on a professional display with goals coming from a phenomenal Michael Bradley olimpico and a clever Clint Dempsey run (with a wonderful pass from Gyasi Zardes into space) to beat Jaime Penedo.
More importantly for the U.S., the team played all 90 minutes with purpose and intensity – a far cry from the last three matches where it gave up nine second half goals against Colombia, Ireland and the Chileans. A shutout win was just what the doctor ordered for Klinsmann.
Nothing cures ills like victory.
Had the U.S. failed to win against Panama, there’s no doubt that a brand new salvo of dissent and vitriol would have been hurled at Klinsmann from all directions. And quite frankly, it would still be just as silly as it was in the buildup to this match.
The buzzword around the USMNT during its run of poor form has been ‘fitness.’ Klinsmann called the team out for its lack of it, and the media and fans responded in kind by accusing Klinsmann of passing the buck and throwing his players under the bus. Many even suggested that player fitness is exactly what the German coach should be responsible for during an extended January camp.
But perhaps ‘fitness’ is the wrong word. With most of his squad in the midst of a long MLS off-season, perhaps ‘sharpness’ would be more apropos. But of course few things kill sharpness as much as a lack of fitness. Yes, it’s all tied in together. How often do we hear this excuse around European football when teams come out of winter breaks and need a few weeks to get up to speed? How come it doesn’t apply here?
The reason is simple, and it has more to do with CONCACAF’s ridiculous calendar than wind sprints and beep tests. With no competitive games for an entire year after each World Cup, there’s simply no competitive fire to be stoked for an astonishingly long time. While UEFA nations are back to the Euro qualifying grind a mere month or so after each World Cup, CONCACAF sits on its thumbs.
Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo conceded direct from a corner on his home ground. Ouch!
And if there are no games of any importance to dissect, we’re forced to conjure up other supposed controversies to fill the void.
No, this doesn’t mean that all is well in the U.S. camp and there’s nothing to contemplate when it comes to improving the team ahead of this summer’s Gold Cup and next summer’s Copa America Centenario.
There are serious questions about the talent level of the current pool, and of course the ongoing saga of American player development.
And Klinsmann has more than enough question marks surrounding him and his constantly changing formations and inability to settle on one player in one position throughout a cycle.
These are valid queries.
But the doom and gloom surrounding a string of results in the year-long period following each World Cup is simply filler and nothing more. The only vital result that will come from this series of friendlies is identifying new talent and giving it an opportunity to show its wares. And that’s exactly what’s happened with the likes of Zardes, Birnbaum, Trapp, Ibarra and Kitchen all getting their first real looks at the national team setup.
Perhaps it simply boils down to perspective. If you’re new to the game, then every result takes on massive significance. But honestly, will anyone really care about these matches when the ones that count begin later on in the cycle? History even shows us that playing these games at all is rather adventurous.
After the U.S. stunned the world in the summer of 2002 by nearly ousting Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals in Korea/Japan, head coach Bruce Arena really capitalized on the momentum by organizing one single game for the rest of the year. One game. And it was a hardly a sizzler either – no offense to El Salvador.
The same pattern followed after the 2006 World Cup in Germany, except that the U.S. floundered badly going three and out. Arena was released and new coach Bob Bradley didn’t manage his first game until the following January. I still can’t keep talking about that big win over a Denmark B team – Bornstein was on fire.
After the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Bradley at the very least tried to capitalize on the growing U.S. fan base and not let the team quickly slip away from the nation’s consciousness after its dramatic run to the Round of 16. The results? Between August of 2010 and June of 2011, the team went 1-3-4, including losses to Brazil, Spain and Paraguay.
US midfielder Miguel Ibarra (19) was among the younger stars who shone
So looking back, with the aid of a little perspective, do we think on Arena’s time as national team coach with memories of his post-World Cup vacation periods? Do we question his lack of proactive scheduling? No. We talk about 2-0 in Columbus, 3-2 over Portugal, Gold Cup trophies, and 2-0 in Columbus again. That’s what perspective does for us.
Do we slam Bradley for his dismal record after reaching the last sixteen in South Africa? No, we save that for blowing a lead against Mexico at the Rose Bowl in 2011 – in a Gold Cup final. You know, something that truly mattered. We also appreciate beating then world champions Spain en route to our first official FIFA final against Brazil in 2009. And of course, 2-0 in Columbus. Again.
Look, no one is saying that results aren’t important. They are. But the immediate post-match digital brush fire against Klinsmann was unwarranted in the big picture – at least in terms of results. And no, it still wouldn’t have mattered all that much if the U.S. had not gotten a positive result against Panama.
It all boils down to perspective and understanding that the timing of the results is infinitely more important than the results themselves. It’s what legacies are built upon. Who remembers the game winning shots that Michael Jordan missed?
We cannot on the one hand praise Klinsmann for pitting the U.S. against solid foes (and often on foreign soil), then instantly condemn him if the results don’t turn out the way we want them to. That’s the gig. Perhaps it’s more the frustration that many of these matches just go to show what a very long road the U.S. has ahead to become one of the planet’s top football teams.
But let’s all keep a little more perspective and understand when is the right time to cry foul, and when it’s time to simply let it slide. And until CONCACAF and CONMEBOL do the right thing and make next year’s Copa America Centenario combined format a regular occurrence every four years with proper qualifying, it’s always going to be the latter during the post-World Cup doldrums.
Also See:
USA puts it all together against Panama
Zardes proves himself in front of home crowd
Hinton Unleashed: Panama were awful. Any MLS team would have beaten them
