It’s been an up-and-down couple of months for United States Men’s National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Following wins against Germany and the Netherlands earlier this year, the Americans looked poised to cruise through the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
A shocking 2-1 loss to Jamaica in the semifinal, followed by an even more bamboozling 3-2 loss in penalties to Panama in the third place match now has the red, white and blue faithful questioning if Klinsmann is the right man for the job.
Former United States captain Landon Donovan, the man Klinsmann famously left off the 2014 World Cup team, sounded off on ESPN after the Americans were thumped by Brazil 4-1 in September.
"Around the world, if a player plays poorly and a player has a bad string of results, they get dropped from the team," Donovan told ESPN. "Jurgen said many times he wants our players to feel pressure — so if they lose a game they can't go to the grocery store the next day. If they lose a game, they are getting hammered in the press. Well, the same holds true for the coach."
Donovan’s influence on American soccer is not one to be taken lightly, given his longevitiy with the National team
Klinsmann now gears up his squad for the match against El Tri Saturday at the Rose Bowl in what seems like a do-or-die situation, as the match will determine who will represent CONCACAF in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the dress rehersal tournament to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The 23-man roster Klinsmann will bring to the competition is a sign that he is not taking this occasion lightly.
He will bring a plethora of seasoned international veterans for the occasion (Dempsey, Altidore, Beasley, Bradley, Howard) as well as a few rising stars (Yedlin, Zardes).
The lineup has a few head scratchers though, including the absence of Omar Gonzalez and Julian Green, but the team still looks poised to succeed.
It will have to if Jurgey wants to have any chance to continue roaming the United States sidelines.
