Abby Wambach's Criticism Towards Jurgen Klinsmann Is Justified

Recently retired U.S. women's national team striker Abby Wambach is not completely wrong about her criticism of Jurgen Klinsmann, the head coach of the men's national team.

Ahead of her final match with the USWNT, Wambach said that if she was calling the shots, she'd fire Klinsmann. She elaborated on The Bill Simmons Podcast (via Fox Soccer's Alexi Lalas):

Wambach is entitled to her opinion just like everyone else. The USMNT has had a disastrous 2015 which has led to calls for Klinsmann to be fired. It's perfectly fine if she echoes those thoughts.

However, blasting Klinsmann for bringing "foreign" players into the team is offside, especially when Sydney Leroux, Wambach's former teammate, was born in Canada.

Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Timothy Chandler, John Brooks and Julian Green are all sons of military personnel. If they are eligible to represent the U.S. and want to do so, that is their business.

The United States is a multicultural country, so it should not matter if a player has European or South American heritage.

Johnson has been on a tear in the Bundesliga, which ESPN FC's Doug McIntyre highlighted recently. Jones has 56 caps with the U.S. since his debut in 2010. Chandler, Brooks and Green are all works in progress.

Every coach has a preference for who he or she wants in the squad. However, Klinsmann's constant rejection of players in North America cannot be ignored.

For example, center back Ventura Alvarado has been woeful since Klinsmann called him up. His form for Club America hasn't been much better. Alvarado has played just seven games in all competitions since August 22. 

Alvarado is now transfer listed, according to PasionAguila.com (via the official MLS website).

The 23-year-old cannot read an aerial threat and is constantly out of position. He's young, but these are basic mistakes that an established defender should not be committing.

Matt Hedges would've been a great alternative for Alvarado. The FC Dallas center back attended Klinsmann's January camp but earned just one cap and wasn't called up the rest of the year.

The German tactician has pushed certain young players to pursue a career in Europe, while essentially calling MLS a second-rate league.

Per ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle, Klinsmann said:

"

You have to look at every situation individually and help the player to determine what is best for himself. There are a lot of parts to the picture, things like the player's ability, what his support structure is like, his past experiences, and his mentality and goals. Some kids would benefit from the environment in Europe, while others are best suited to continue their growth in MLS. There's no one right answer that applies to all players, and each player's circumstances change over time.

"

It's logical for a coach to urge his players to play at the highest level possible. However, there are few Americans who are excelling outside of MLS.

Johnson was the only U.S. representative in this season's Champions League. By comparison, Mexico's provisional roster for the CONCACAF Cup had seven players on Champions League clubs, per Goal.com's Jon Arnold.

Johnson, and Jones to a lesser degree due to his age (34), are solid USMNT players. Darlington Nagbe, who was born in Liberia, dazzled the coaching staff in November, per Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl.

Despite those success stories, a few European-based players have struggled. Alvarado, Brooks and Chandler all experienced hiccups, but Klinsmann stuck with them.

Hedges received just one cap in 2015. He was fourth in MLS with 4.9 interceptions a game, per WhoScored.com. Steve Birnbaum earned just one appearance as well. Both players deserve more games if Alvarado and Brooks were pardoned.

If a player is talented, then he should be in the USMNT squad no matter where he was born.