Jurgen Klinsmann Comments on Level of Play for American Players
The United States Men's National Soccer Team surprised many when it advanced to the knockout stage at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but head coach Jurgen Klinsmann believes there has been a lack of progress since then.
According to Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated (h/t U.S. Soccer), Klinsmann is looking for more consistency and an overall higher level of play out of American players for their club teams:
TOP NEWS
Jude, Barco Got Heated After Semi
Messi, Argentina Shock England in Semifinal 😱
World Cup Semifinals W/Ls 🎭
The former German star also pointed toward LA Galaxy and Ireland striker Robbie Keane as a role model who his players should strive to emulate:
The USMNT has friendlies coming up on Nov. 14 and No. 18 against Colombia and Ireland respectively. The Americans have one victory and two draws since getting ousted from the World Cup by Belgium. Klinsmann has experimented with many different players and combinations in comparison to the squad he fielded in Brazil.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia is a long way off, but Klinsmann is obviously quite serious about building toward it already. What happens in the coming months could have a major impact on what the national team looks like in four years, so his sense of urgency is certainly understandable.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter
