There may be no Jurgen roaming the sidelines for USA in Sunday's Gold Cup Final, but it's all good. (Credits: Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports) |
In the dying minutes of USA's thorough domination of Honduras on Wednesday, Jurgen Klinsmann was ejected for arguing with the officials. To the outsider it may have looked like a moment of weakness for the head coach, but it was actually a moment of unification, a moment of strength. Jurgen was sticking up for his boys as Honduras tried and eventually failed to bully them all game. Whether it was the no-call vicious elbow that Stu Holden received in the box in the first half or any of the chippy stuff that happens at the end of a blowout, Jurgen wasn't going to let it go unnoticed. With the ejection, the German won't be allowed to roam the sidelines for Sunday's Gold Cup Final clash, but that's neither here nor there.
This American squad is a well-oiled machine and that is in large part thanks to Jurgen. But it's not so much his in-game coaching as it is his pregame preparation and ability to decipher the appropriate chemistry for each given contest. No matter what lineup Jurgen has trudged out there over the last few months, it's been a stellar one. Now it's just time for the players to finish this magical run and they won't need Jurgen's in-game services anyways.
The USMNT head coach has instilled the confidence and synergy in these players that allows them to excel in-game. The mix between veterans like Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, and DeMarcus Beasley mixed with the emerging young guns like Mikkel Diskerud, Joe Corona and Brek Shea has given this team a diverse style of play. Plus, those veterans have been around long enough that they know exactly where everyone needs to be at all times. They won't let the young guys slip up and the onus is even more on them without Jurgen. Challenge accepted.
I will say that this is definitely the American's stiffest test of the Gold Cup. Running through the likes of Cuba and Belize is one thing, but the Panamanians always usually give the Americans a run for their money. Plus, Blas Perez and Gabriel Gomez are mainstays on Panama's A-team and they'll be salivating over a chance to end this sizzling run of play from the US. Memo to USA: this isn't to be taken lightly. Yet, as we've seen all tournament, and most of 2013, the boys in stripes haven't taken their foot off the pedal. I don't see that starting now.
No Jurgen might scare a few people, but with the way this team has been thriving in all facets of their game, Panama won't stand a chance.
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