I hate that he said this, no matter how true it is."We cannot win this World Cup, because we are not at that level yet," Klinsmann told the [New York Times] magazine in December. "For us, we have to play the game of our lives seven times to win the tournament.
"Realistically, it is not possible."
Otherwise, I think I'm a believer in Klinsy. I'm even coming around on the Landon Donovan thing. A big part of me still thinks Donovan could be a valuable weapon late in a game and fit into a typical role for an aging great on many a world squad, but Klinsmann's comments about the American cult of celebrity and the stupidity of the Kobe Bryant contract reinforce that his objective is to build the US program into a long-term World Cup contender. Maybe it's just that important that young guys like Brooks, Yedlin and Green go along for the ride. Maybe he sees something in another player's game that he likes better without Donovan in the mix. Maybe he just needed to put his own stamp on the program and move past the "Donovan Era," eliminating anticipated distractions caused by questions about whether he'll start, or play at all. Whatever the reasoning, Klinsmann's on board for the long haul with a contract through 2018. So maybe I'm just giving him the benefit of the doubt based on his track record, but the team's performance with him at the helm and the landing of Julian Green have been impressive enough for me to have faith in the head man for the US going into the World Cup.
Victory over recent-world-cup-nemesis Ghana would probably turn my cautious optimism into open overconfidence, even with heavyweights Portugal and Germany on deck. Still more than a little afraid of the Black Stars though.