Jurgen Klinsmann Has Only Himself to Blame for USMNT Loss to Brazil

Jurgen Klinsmann is no stranger to playing his best players out of position. But on Tuesday, Klinsmann made his most baffling decision to date, which is a strong claim to make given how poorly the Jermaine Jones center-back experiment worked at the start of 2015. 

For the friendly against Brazil at Gillette Stadium, Klinsmann decided to start winger Alejandro Bedoya in the defensive midfield of a 4-5-1 formation next to stalwart Jermaine Jones while Michael Bradley lined up in an advanced role behind Jozy Altidore. 

Bedoya said after the match, a 4-1 defeat, he hasn't spent much time at the position in his professional career, per ESPN's Doug McIntyre:

In the 36th minute, Klinsmann removed Bedoya from the contest in order to bring in a true defensive midfielder in Danny Williams. Instead of admitting his mistake during his half-time interview with ESPN, Klinsmann essentially threw Bedoya under the bus for not adjusting to the position:

"Ale had a bit of a problem getting into his rhythm," proclaimed the United States men's national team boss. 

That remark was something observers of the United States men's national team are used to when dealing with Klinsmann. Rarely has Klinsmann admitted his faults, especially over the last year during the so-called experiment process after the World Cup.

He continued his explanation after the match by saying Bedoya was good option but couldn't catch up with the game, per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle: 

Starting Bedoya, who has been a model of consistency on the wing since the venture to Brazil, out of position was the tipping point for a frustrated fanbase in need of something positive to talk about heading into the high-pressure CONCACAF Cup game against Mexico that will determine the North American representative at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. 

Although he tried to correct the Bedoya mistake before the half-time whistle, the damage was already done to the confidence of a side fresh off a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Peru on Friday. 

Almost everywhere you looked on the pitch at Gillette Stadium, there was a tactical error waiting to be exploited by a Brazil side in need of proving its own worth after a summer disappointment on the continental level. 

For the second consecutive match, Klinsmann opted to use four natural center-backs across the back line. While he got away with that to an extent against Peru thanks to Tim Ream's minute-by-minute improvement, Klinsmann could not get away with matching Brazil's pace on the flanks with two tactically sound center-backs.

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Ream and Geoff Cameron were caught out on countless occasions by Willian and Douglas Costa. One of the biggest errors committed by the two came in the 50th minute, when Cameron clipped Neymar in the box to hand Brazil a penalty. Ream was in the middle of the defensive disasters on the third and fourth Brazilian strikes, as Rafinha and Neymar worked around him and a few others with ease. 

Some may argue Klinsmann had no choice but to start Ream and Cameron at full-back because of the depleted depth chart at the position. DaMarcus Beasley, Timmy Chandler and Fabian Johnson are all injured, while Greg Garza has been relegated to the bench at the club level.

Despite all the injuries at full-back, though, Klinsmann still had plenty of players at his disposal at the position if he decided to step out of his comfort zone. Jonathan Spector was recalled for the first time since 2012, but he only saw the pitch for 20 minutes in mop-up duty on Tuesday. While they might not be the most popular choices, Eric Lichaj and Jonathan Bornstein have put together solid performances over the last few years in the Championship and Liga MX respectively.

Instead of reaching out to someone further down the depth chart to see what they have just in case he faces the same situation against Mexico, Klinsmann started Cameron, who has played all his minutes this season at Stoke City at center-back, and Ream, who initially struggled with Peru's pace on Friday before settling into the match.

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

While there is no guarantee any of the proposed options would've thrived against the dynamic Brazilian wingers, it would've been worth giving a deserving player a shot instead of continuing with the theme of lining up players out of their natural positions.

Klinsmann also made a key error when shaping his midfield as a whole. Klinsmann trusted the young pair of DeAndre Yedlin and Gyasi Zardes on the wings despite the flaws in their respective defensive skill sets. The two favorites of Klinsmann had a decent start, but both drastically fizzled out. 

Yedlin may have had the worst night of any American on the pitch, as he produced a few giveaways that led to goals. The winger allowed Brazil to move forward with ease in the ninth minute after he gave the ball away in front of the penalty area. To make matters worse, Yedlin watched Hulk from a distance as the forward collected Willian's cross from off the post and slotted home the opener.

Stephan Savoia/Associated Press

In the 64th minute, Yedlin made a bad pass into the middle of the field from the right wing that led to a beautiful Brazil counter that culminated in the third goal, scored by Rafinha. Three minutes later, Yedlin showed zero composure when trying to stop Neymar as the Barcelona man danced around in the box before netting Brazil's fourth.

As for Zardes, the LA Galaxy midfielder who, like Yedlin, has made 15 international appearances in 2015, struggled to adjust to the tempo of the match from the start. Had Klinsmann started Bedoya on the left, the Yanks might have been able to cope with the relentless pace of Brazil. 

If you want to dissect Klinsmann's mistakes at every position, we can talk about how isolated he left Jozy Altidore in the defensive-minded 4-5-1 formation. Altidore impressed with his hold-up play against David Luiz in the fourth minute, but then he dropped off the grid until he was substituted in favor of Jordan Morris in the 57th minute.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press

One would assume the addition of a healthy Clint Dempsey in October would solve that problem, but Klinsmann has to plan for the worst just in case. When it comes to finding a consistent forward outside of Dempsey, the options are slim, even if you include Altidore, who has been on and off at the international level recently. Klinsmann faced the same problem at the World Cup, but he has failed to find a remedy to the issue.

With the Mexico match on the horizon, we have reached a critical point in the Klinsmann regime. The results that have been there in the past aren't appearing right now. The tournament many saw as a winnable one for the Yanks, the Gold Cup, resulted in a disappointing fourth-place finish. To some, it may seem like Klinsmann has run out of ideas and that a fresh perspective is needed in order for the USMNT to take the next step forward.

That thought process is natural for anyone living in a results-first world. But if Klinsmann and the USMNT come out on top against Mexico, the worries will subside a bit since a berth in a major competition will be clinched. Regardless of what the next month brings, Klinsmann needs to find a way to rejuvenate his squad.

If he is unable to get the best out of the talent he has worked with over the past four years, and another horrible performance comes in the Mexico match, the cacophony of voices screaming for his termination will be louder than it has ever been.

Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.