USMNT: Klinsmann's Offense Stalls Again, Team Loses 1-0 to Ecuador

I wish this could be the article where I write about Klinsmann finally kick-starting the U.S. soccer program. I wish I could describe the way our new midfielders set up Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore again and again to score against an Ecuador team that is ranked ninth out of 10 South American teams by FIFA. I wish I could write any of that.

Instead, Klinsmann and the U.S. soccer team lost 1-0, disappointing a home crowd of over 20,000 at Red Bull Arena. It's the team's third loss since the German coach took over for Bob Bradley in July.

I'll admit it--I totally jumped on the Jürgen Klinsmann bandwagon. I didn't even know much about the former head coach of Bayern Munich, but that didn't matter. I knew that Bradley wasn't getting it done, and I knew of Klinsmann's success at the 2006 World Cup with Germany. I knew he liked to attack. I knew he was used to being around some of the best players in the world, both as a coach and as a player. 

Apart from that, I didn't know much.

But then Klinsmann's team allowed a goal just 17 minutes into the new coach's first game against Mexico. "Just a fluke," I thought.

Weeks later, the team was shut out against Costa Rica and Belgium. I still held out hope that Klinsmann's tendency towards offense would do well for this team.

Then we defeated Honduras, a participant in last year's World Cup and one of the top team's in the CONCACAF region. A lot of us were patting Klinsmann on the back for his first win as U.S. head coach. We should. Honduras is good. But as good as the Central American team was, we were still the heavy favorites.

Now it's Wednesday morning and the team lost to one of the bottom-feeders of the South American region. How did it happen? What's missing?

"It's going to take time," goalkeeper Tim Howard said to ESPN. "People are going to ask questions, and that's natural. But it's still in the infant stages."

Even in the infant stages, it shouldn't look like this. We possessed the ball very well last night and showed we could drive into Ecuador's half. With a 4-1-4-1 formation, Americans got a glimpse of the wide-open, attack-often team that Klinsmann wants to lead.

But our drives stalled again and again near the box. And when we got a chance, our shots were terrible. Some sailed harmlessly wide of the net. Others looked like they were shot with the leg power of a seven-year-old.

At the end of the night, the U.S. had 18 shots on goal. Only five were on target.

Some will say our defense was good, allowing only a handful of possessions into their third of the field. But Ecuador scored off of the only shot they took. It doesn't matter if your defense is good for most of the game when they score during the only part you weren't.

New midfielder Brek Shea, a 21-year-old prospect playing for FC Dallas of the MLS, was one of the lone bright spots for the Americans. He was aggressive the entire night, roaming up and down the left side of the pitch.

Getting Oguchi Onyewu back on the field is also a sight for sore eyes. He looks every bit as fit as he did before his injury, and his play in the center of the defense thwarted several Ecuadorian possessions.

But Tim Ream, who came on in the 72nd minute for Carlos Bocanegra, looked shaky on the ball and lost his man completely on the goal just seven minutes into his being on the pitch.

I think the U.S. soccer team is headed in the right direction. My hope is that with Landon Donovan, who missed the match due to personal reasons, and Stu Holden, who is having knee surgery, this is a team that will score early and score often.

I just wish this could be the article that says we're already there.