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SPORTSMonday 12 October 2015

Loss to Mexico punctuates a rough year for U.S. soccer

GREG BEACHAM U.S. players celebrate their team’s second goal against Mexico during the CONCACAF Cup playoff soccer match at the Rose
AP Sports Writer Bowl Stadium, in Pasadena , Calif. Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015,
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) —
The American Outlaws and Associated Press
their fellow U.S. soccer fans
were louder, rowdier and privilege for me to do my orable Southern California problems. Klinsmann, ever enamored
more numerous than they best to my capabilities and night exemplified several “The way they played with youth, said before
were four years ago for to leave the judgment out deficiencies. The Ameri- gave us a little bit of trou- the game that it might be
their team’s last clash with there for people who want cans had to think defen- ble, and we ended up get- the last chance for certain
Mexico at the Rose Bowl. to express themselves.” sively all night just to keep ting pinned back,” Brad- over-30 players to partici-
They were still wildly out- Klinsmann took two blows up with Mexico’s talented ley said. “(Oribe) Peralta, pate in a huge internation-
numbered and heavily Saturday in his dual role. lineup, which was fronted (Raul) Jimenez and Chich- al game.
out-roared by the Mexican While his senior team by three speedy forwards arito were all mobile in cen- Yet he backed away from
fans who turned the U.S. couldn’t beat Mexico for who kept the U.S. thor- tral areas, and that forced those thoughts after the
national team into visitors the seventh straight time, oughly occupied. our four defenders inside game, perhaps realizing
in its own stadium Saturday his under-23 team is in dan- The Mexicans held posses- pretty narrow, and it meant he’ll need veteran talent
night. ger of missing the Olympics sion and exerted steady that our outside midfield- to pick up victories in World
“There was a difference - after losing 2-0 to Hondu- pressure that forced the ers spent a lot of time in Cup qualifying starting next
not sure how huge it was,” ras. The youngsters must U.S. midfielders to drop the back line covering month.
captain Michael Bradley beat Canada on Tuesday back in support, leaving wide areas, and it meant “There is no reason right
said, comparing the crowd and then win a playoff with the entire lineup playing that we had no presence now to cut the cord with
to the 2011 Gold Cup final. Colombia just to make the defensively while Jozy Al- in the midfield in wide ar- any of these guys,” Klins-
“That’s no slight on the Rio field. tidore and Clint Dempsey eas. So over the course mann said after referenc-
American fans here. It was “Obviously it was a bum- stood around up top. The of the game, that means ing DaMarcus Beasley,
very, very, very pro-Mexi- mer to see the Olympic Americans’ scoring hopes that they’re able to pin us Jermaine Jones and Kyle
can. That’s just reality.” team not win today as essentially were confined back.” Beckerman. “It’s not nec-
The Americans are facing well,” said Klinsmann, who to set pieces or counter- The Americans just don’t essary. Our responsibility
several stark realities late in had never lost to Mexico attacks, neither of which appear to have the talent also at the same time is to
an unimpressive year, and as a German player or a were in abundance. or the tactics to regularly give fresh blood more of an
they’re not about fan sup- U.S. coach. “You can have It’s not the exciting, inven- beat the world’s best, but opportunity, to give fresh
port. your own impression (if) you tive soccer promised by it’s unclear whether the players like DeAndre Yed-
Their 3-2 loss to Mexico on look back at the last four Klinsmann when he took Rose Bowl loss will mark the lin and Jozy an opportunity
a spectacular extra-time years at what we did.” over. Bradley was clini- start of a personnel shift in to break in and give it an
goal by Paul Aguilar was The thrilling loss on a mem- cal about the Americans’ the U.S. lineup. open fight for a spot.”q
the lowest point in a stretch
that includes a semifinal
loss in the Gold Cup and
several head-scratching
results in friendlies.
Despite the close score,
the Americans were out-
classed in skill, possession,
depth and finishing touch-
es. Mexico earned CON-
CACAF’s berth in the 2017
Confederations Cup, leav-
ing the U.S. without anoth-
er opportunity to face the
world’s best teams or a trip
to Russia before the 2018
World Cup.
With little evident progress
since last year’s World Cup,
coach Jurgen Klinsmann
realizes he is facing con-
cerns about his program’s
direction and his ability to
change it, even though
U.S. Soccer Federation
President Sunil Gulati says
the German’s job is safe.
“Everybody can express
his opinion, and not every-
body likes you,” said Klins-
mann, who shapes every
aspect of the U.S. team as
the program’s technical di-
rector. “That is totally fine.
I’m not here to be liked.
I’m trying to do a good
job. I’m privileged to have
that role and represent the
U.S. soccer program. It’s a