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After the USMNT’s embarrassing 4-0 loss at Costa Rica last week, Jurgen Klinsmann has finally spoken out publicly (with someone who didn’t write a book for him) about calls for him to be replaced as national team manager.
To the surprise of no one, he went on the offensive when speaking with the New York Times’ Sam Borden.
He said that he feels “very comfortable” with his current job security and says that those calling for a change in management are “being disrespectful.”
“I’m not afraid,” Klinsmann said. “What you need to do is stick to the facts. Soccer is emotional and a lot of people make conclusions without knowing anything about the inside of the team or the sport. I still believe we will get the points we need to qualify, and I am even confident we could win the group.”
Klinsmann went on to criticize his own critics by lashing out at them.
“The fact is, we lost two games. There is a lot of talk from people who don’t understand soccer or the team.”
This isn’t the first time he’s questioned the knowledge of American soccer supporters and media or just anyone who doesn’t think he’s the greatest manager who has ever lived. Any time his methods are questioned his automatic defense mechanism is to question America’s intelligence of the sport instead of having an actual debate.
How Jurgen answered the playing players out of position question on Dallas radio yesterday https://t.co/y3fdvAD3hn pic.twitter.com/zSCxOa9qd1
— Daniel Robertson (@DRobertsonFCD) March 29, 2016
We’re six years into the Jurgen Klinsmann era. How long of a transition period are we supposed to allow for?
It’s clear that U.S. Soccer has problems. Is Klinsmann the man to fix them and if so, how many years of transition does it take to get to the promised land? From the uninformed perspective, it appears that the USMNT has regressed since the last cycle where they defeated Mexico at home and actually put up a fight in Costa Rica.
Sure, this is just two matches and the CONCACAF Hexagonal is very forgiving. But, what happens if there’s another slip-up and you wait too long to make an important decision? You’re playing with your World Cup lives at this point. Does Sunil Gulati trust Klinsmann enough to gamble the USMNT’s World Cup spot on him? We’re about to find out.