The U.S. national football team managed to reach the Round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup and this was a huge accomplishment for the American team and nation in it’s entirety as the squad was able to defy all odds and not only survive the group stages but also get past it ahead of: Portugal and Ghana.
The American team was pitted in Group G, this group was considered to be one of the toughest of the tournament. Germany were favorites on finishing at the top and indeed they did snatch the top spot meanwhile everyone else had to fight for the 2nd qualification spot and surprisingly enough it was the U.S. national side that snatched the 2nd spot.
Just by surviving those group stages was a noteworthy accomplishment for JurgenKlinsmann and his players. The U.S. national team went on to the Round of 16 where they played against Belgium and lost 2-1.
JurgenKlinsmann said that he has learned from the mistake he and his team did which caused them to lose their match against Belgium and according to the German manager, he wants to turn the team into system, a system where all the players are aiming for the same thing where the same style is played.
Former star of the U.S. national side, Landon Donovan said: “Teams perform best when everybody plays the same style and understands the system that needs to be played. If you can teach kids that at a young age, I think it’s very helpful.”
JurgenKlinsmann and Donovan are envisioning the same kind of project and system for the American national team. In order for this kind of approach and method to be executed successfully, Klinsmann believes that he has have a closer connection not only with his own players of the national but also with the youngsters in the youth academies and this is why he was named as the technical director of the entire national team program. The German has expanded his duties to a point where he now has control over everything from coaching education and youth academies to grass-roots development.
The Olympic team does seem to be experiencing a positive reaction to Klinsmann and his plans as the American national side managed to claim successive victories over Mexico and Netherlands in friendly matches which were respectively played on April 16 and June 5 of 2015.