Klinsmann, USMNT Must Be Desperate for a Win in Advance of Long Time Away

Not to go all "30 for 30" on you, but what if I told you that there was an international men's football team whose record in its last seven matches was one win, three draws and three losses? Is that a side you would be particularly impressed with?

Then imagine that that same side earned all three draws by virtue of giving up a goal in the last 15 minutes (or less) of play? And that one of the losses came after that side had led for nearly an hour?

By now you probably know that this mystery side is the United States men's national team, who fairly desperately need a victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin with months of club play looming after this latest international break ends.

And the Americans' late foibles are not going unnoticed.

In the wake of the Americans' latest collapse against Colombia, Matthew Doyle of MLSsoccer.com wrote that "this marks the first time in the past 20 years that the US have lost or settled for a draw in three straight games after allowing a goal in the 85th minute or later."

Doyle also quoted television analyst Taylor Twellman as saying: "The fact is this: post-World Cup, they can not stay in games in the second half. That has to be concerning for Jurgen Klinsmann and his staff." 

It will likely be March of 2015 before American boss Jurgen Klinsmann has this group (or something like it) back together again. Klinsmann surely does not want to finish these two international breaks without a win, and this match against the Republic of Ireland is the Americans' last chance to right the ship.

Klinsmann deserves credit for pitting the Americans against competitive opposition in each of the past two international breaks. In October, their match with the Ecuadorans put two evenly ranked sides on the pitch together.

Then the Americans faced Honduras, whose FIFA world ranking was and is much lower. But the Hondurans' familiarity with the Americans from years of CONCACAF battles mitigated some of the Americans' perceived talent advantage.

This month, Klinsmann threw his young, inexperienced side in against the world's No. 3-ranked national team, Colombia, and somewhat predictably saw the Americans throw away a result against the Colombians with young, inexperienced errors.

The Republic of Ireland is currently ranked 61st in the world. The Americans are still hanging on to No. 23. Knowing nothing else, you might figure that the Americans would be favored in this match.

Not so fast my friend.

According to the wagering services analyzed by Oddschecker.com, the Republic of Ireland is a slight favorite against the Americans. Apparently, things like the home pitch for the Irish side and the Americans' iffy form actually matter.

The odds do not suggest this, but what the Americans really need against the Irish side is a convincing if not dominating performance.

It was understandable when the Americans played cautiously against Germany and Belgium in the 2014 World Cup. Those teams were demonstrably better than the Americans. You could tell, because the Germans and the Belgians did more or less whatever they wanted against Klinsmann's side.

The time is long since past for the Americans to exert the same sort of force of will against a weaker team. Even in Dublin, the Americans' talent advantage should give them the opportunity to control the ball and the play.

Anything less than a victory for the Americans would mean a long, cold winter of recrimination before the team comes back together in the spring.

Klinsmann can best stem the flow of questions surrounding his side's inability to close by managing the Americans to a commanding win in Dublin.