Jurgen Klinsmann told the truth and U.S. advanced anyway
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By DERON SNYDER
Jurgen Klinsmann was correct in December, although his brutally honest assessment seemed all wrong coming from a coach:
“We cannot win this World Cup, because we are not at that level yet,” Klinsmann told the New York Times Magazine in an interview that was published in June. “For us, we have to play the game of our lives seven times to win the tournament. Realistically, it is not possible.”
Critics howled and accused him of being un-American.
They were right, because such frankness is virtually nonexistent. It is considered tantamount to quitting before the competition begins.
Klinsmann wasn’t conceding anything, however, except the obvious fact that the United States isn’t close to elite status in international soccer. Escaping the treacherous Group of Death, with Germany, Portugal and Ghana as obstacles, would be a difficult feat.
Advancing through the knockout stage to reach the World Cup final would be close to impossible.
I never understood the big deal about Klinsmann’s comment. It seemed like the perfect combination of tampering public expectations and challenging the team to reach deeper. Coaches always do the latter in private, during practices and meetings, but they usually refuse to let unfiltered truth seep out during interviews.
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