Win in Antigua is no sure thing for U.S
ESPN INSIDER
Jurgen Klinsmann's stunning decision to leave striker Jozy Altidore off the U.S. roster for crucial World Cup qualifiers at Antigua and Barbuda on Friday and against Guatemala on Oct. 16 turns out to be even more of a gamble now, after word came down Tuesday that Landon Donovan, the national team's all-time scoring leader, and imposing winger Brek Shea had withdrawn from the squad because of injuries.
If the United States fails to get at least four points from the next two games, if the unthinkable happens and they don't qualify for the final round of CONCACAF qualifying -- let alone the 2014 World Cup in Brazil -- the timing of Altidore's omission and the potentially distracting headlines resulting from it will be tough for Klinsmann to live down.
On paper, the Americans are still heavy favorites to advance. They are tied with Guatemala in their four-team group, just ahead of Jamaica. But Klinsmann's tenure has been full of surprises, not all of them good. And with the three teams even on seven points, one poor result could have dire consequences.
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Klinsmann admits that a win isn't a foregone conclusion in Antigua. Although the Benna Boys have just one point, they've given their more talented opponents fits in every game they've played.
"We watched very carefully [their] games against Guatemala, and they could have beaten Guatemala in both games," Klinsmann said on a Monday conference call with reporters. "They tied Jamaica. It's going to be a difficult game because for them, it's the game of the decade. This is not an easy game."
And having a weakened roster won't help. The U.S. sorely missed Donovan and Michael Bradley in its past two games, against Jamaica. Altidore, despite his recent struggles in a U.S. uniform, currently is co-leading the Dutch league in scoring and had played in 17 straight World Cup qualifiers. Bradley, who has been dealing with a leg injury, is back, which should help considerably. Plus, Graham Zusi, who was impressive in the Sept. 11 home win against the Reggae Boyz, seems capable of deputizing for Donovan without too much of a drop-off.
But whether MLS strikers Eddie Johnson and Alan Gordon can rise to the occasion -- quite literally, as Klinsmann cited both players' aerial ability as the reason they were summoned -- is anyone's guess.
Risky? You bet.
The bigger question, though, may be about the state of the locker room under the German coach. After Klinsmann criticized Altidore in a Sept. 28 interview with Insider, the 22-year-old sent out a tweet that read, "Love when people try to blame others for their own shortcomings and incompetence."
He deleted it a short time later, and Klinsmann was correct when he said that there's no way of knowing if Altidore's message was directed at him. But given its timing (and subsequent removal), it's not a stretch to guess that it was aimed at the coach. It wouldn't be the first time a young player publicly lashed out at a coach, of course, and Altidore has said all the right things in interviews since.
But his dissatisfaction seems real, and you have to wonder if it goes beyond one player. It's no secret that it took a while for the team to buy into some of Klinsmann's new-age coaching methods (the Americans won just one of Klinsmann's first seven games). A lingering question has been if Donovan is on the same page as his coach. In our Q&A, Klinsmann conceded that his players "didn't implement the game plan" in the Sept. 7 upset loss in Jamaica.
That's worrying for U.S. fans.
Still, it's the players who will determine their fate. There's no question that core veterans like Bradley, Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard know the stakes and will push their less-experienced teammates to understand the sense of urgency.
And there is precedent: Twelve years ago, the Americans found themselves in a similar situation. On the road in Barbados, another tiny island nation in the Caribbean, the U.S. needed a win to advance to the final qualification round of the World Cup. On a bumpy field in a cricket ground -- much like the one the U.S. will play on Friday in St. John's -- then-coach Bruce Arena's weakened team had American hearts in throats as the game remained scoreless into the second half. Then the U.S. exploded for four goals, two of them coming from little-used MLS strikers Ante Razov and Clint Mathis.
The U.S. will need a similar result heading into the finale Oct. 16 against Guatemala in Kansas City, depending on La Bicolor's result Friday against Jamaica.
So expect some scary moments during the next week and a half, however the results turn out. And if you're wondering why things haven't gotten easier for the U.S. since that scare in Barbados a dozen years back, remember this: Under Klinsmann, very little goes according to plan.
Notes
• After speaking to Insider and ussoccer.com the past two weeks, Klinsmann continued the Q&A rounds with FIFA.com. Check it out here.
• How much stock should we put into what the coach says? Well, remember when Klinsmann told us that the USMNT's past two games were "not the time to bring in a bunch of new players"? Brian Straus of Sporting News examines that question here.
• Bradley dishes on his move to Roma in this interview, which also provides some interesting insight into Bradley's relationship with the man who replaced his father as U.S. coach.
ESPN INSIDER
Jurgen Klinsmann's stunning decision to leave striker Jozy Altidore off the U.S. roster for crucial World Cup qualifiers at Antigua and Barbuda on Friday and against Guatemala on Oct. 16 turns out to be even more of a gamble now, after word came down Tuesday that Landon Donovan, the national team's all-time scoring leader, and imposing winger Brek Shea had withdrawn from the squad because of injuries.
If the United States fails to get at least four points from the next two games, if the unthinkable happens and they don't qualify for the final round of CONCACAF qualifying -- let alone the 2014 World Cup in Brazil -- the timing of Altidore's omission and the potentially distracting headlines resulting from it will be tough for Klinsmann to live down.
On paper, the Americans are still heavy favorites to advance. They are tied with Guatemala in their four-team group, just ahead of Jamaica. But Klinsmann's tenure has been full of surprises, not all of them good. And with the three teams even on seven points, one poor result could have dire consequences.
<offer></offer>
Klinsmann admits that a win isn't a foregone conclusion in Antigua. Although the Benna Boys have just one point, they've given their more talented opponents fits in every game they've played.
"We watched very carefully [their] games against Guatemala, and they could have beaten Guatemala in both games," Klinsmann said on a Monday conference call with reporters. "They tied Jamaica. It's going to be a difficult game because for them, it's the game of the decade. This is not an easy game."
And having a weakened roster won't help. The U.S. sorely missed Donovan and Michael Bradley in its past two games, against Jamaica. Altidore, despite his recent struggles in a U.S. uniform, currently is co-leading the Dutch league in scoring and had played in 17 straight World Cup qualifiers. Bradley, who has been dealing with a leg injury, is back, which should help considerably. Plus, Graham Zusi, who was impressive in the Sept. 11 home win against the Reggae Boyz, seems capable of deputizing for Donovan without too much of a drop-off.
But whether MLS strikers Eddie Johnson and Alan Gordon can rise to the occasion -- quite literally, as Klinsmann cited both players' aerial ability as the reason they were summoned -- is anyone's guess.
Risky? You bet.
The bigger question, though, may be about the state of the locker room under the German coach. After Klinsmann criticized Altidore in a Sept. 28 interview with Insider, the 22-year-old sent out a tweet that read, "Love when people try to blame others for their own shortcomings and incompetence."
He deleted it a short time later, and Klinsmann was correct when he said that there's no way of knowing if Altidore's message was directed at him. But given its timing (and subsequent removal), it's not a stretch to guess that it was aimed at the coach. It wouldn't be the first time a young player publicly lashed out at a coach, of course, and Altidore has said all the right things in interviews since.
But his dissatisfaction seems real, and you have to wonder if it goes beyond one player. It's no secret that it took a while for the team to buy into some of Klinsmann's new-age coaching methods (the Americans won just one of Klinsmann's first seven games). A lingering question has been if Donovan is on the same page as his coach. In our Q&A, Klinsmann conceded that his players "didn't implement the game plan" in the Sept. 7 upset loss in Jamaica.
That's worrying for U.S. fans.
Still, it's the players who will determine their fate. There's no question that core veterans like Bradley, Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard know the stakes and will push their less-experienced teammates to understand the sense of urgency.
And there is precedent: Twelve years ago, the Americans found themselves in a similar situation. On the road in Barbados, another tiny island nation in the Caribbean, the U.S. needed a win to advance to the final qualification round of the World Cup. On a bumpy field in a cricket ground -- much like the one the U.S. will play on Friday in St. John's -- then-coach Bruce Arena's weakened team had American hearts in throats as the game remained scoreless into the second half. Then the U.S. exploded for four goals, two of them coming from little-used MLS strikers Ante Razov and Clint Mathis.
The U.S. will need a similar result heading into the finale Oct. 16 against Guatemala in Kansas City, depending on La Bicolor's result Friday against Jamaica.
So expect some scary moments during the next week and a half, however the results turn out. And if you're wondering why things haven't gotten easier for the U.S. since that scare in Barbados a dozen years back, remember this: Under Klinsmann, very little goes according to plan.
Notes
• After speaking to Insider and ussoccer.com the past two weeks, Klinsmann continued the Q&A rounds with FIFA.com. Check it out here.
• How much stock should we put into what the coach says? Well, remember when Klinsmann told us that the USMNT's past two games were "not the time to bring in a bunch of new players"? Brian Straus of Sporting News examines that question here.
• Bradley dishes on his move to Roma in this interview, which also provides some interesting insight into Bradley's relationship with the man who replaced his father as U.S. coach.
