U.S. Soccer announced on Monday that Jurgen Klinsmann is out as USMNT head coach and technical director. To say goodbye, let’s look back at the highest highs and the lowest lows of his tenure as the head coach of the national team.
The Highs
1. USA – Ghana
The real high point of Klinsmann’s tenure came in the team’s opening game of the 2014 World Cup. Clint Dempsey scored a delightful goal almost immediately, and then youngster John Brooks sealed the win with a late goal off a set piece. In that moment, the USMNT looked poised for great things. They wouldn’t win another game that World Cup.
2. The arrival of Julian Green and the heroics of Tim Howard
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The USMNT would squeak through the group of death in that 2014 World Cup, then drew rising world power Belgium in the first knockout round. Despite an almost inhuman performance from goalkeeper Tim Howard — and a late goal from little known Julian Green, whom Klinsmann surprisingly brought to Brazil — the U.S. would fall 2-1 in extra time.
3. The Copa America win over Ecuador
Perhaps the USMNT’s most complete and impressive victory under Klinsmann, the team knocked off a very talented Ecuador team in the quarterfinal of the Copa America tournament in June 2016. The match sealed Klinsmann’s promise to reach the semifinals of the tournament, which the team did do … before getting smacked 4-0 by Argentina.
4. Dos a cero
The 2013 World Cup qualifier win over Mexico by that famous scoreline of 2-0 in Columbus, Ohio was a beautiful and much-needed win for the Americans, who had managed a 0-0 tie in Mexico City before. There was so much hope and promise then.
5. First wins over Netherlands and Germany
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Yes, they were friendly matches, and yes, the lineups were a bit all over the place, but Klinsmann leading the USMNT to wins over the Dutch and the Germans were message-sending wins to the rest of the world. The Americans, in a friendly at least, could hang with the big boys.
The Lows
1. The Confederations Cup embarrassment
Klinsmann had made it a priority for his team to qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, a tournament he believed was hugely important in gearing up for the World Cup the following year. The U.S. flamed out badly in qualifying, falling 3-2 to Mexico to keep them out of the tournament.
2. The 4-0 drubbing from Costa Rica
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The straw that broke the camel’s back. Klinsmann’s most recent loss, a 4-0 embarrassment at the hands of Costa Rica, was a clear sign that he’d lost the team and put the U.S. in real danger of not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
3. The Gold Cup loss to Jamaica
The 2015 Gold Cup looked set for a U.S. win, falling perfectly for the team to win the tournament on its home soil. The team then lost 2-1 to Jamaica in the semifinal, the first time the Americans had ever lost to the country in a match played in the States. Klinsmann was also responsible for the USMNT’s first ever loss to Jamaica in Jamaica, which happened in 2012.
4. The Argentina smackdown
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The 4-0 loss to Argentina in the Copa America Centenario semifinal could have been expected, but it’s the way the U.S. went out that was so disheartening for American fans. Not only did the U.S. not ever challenge for the game, they didn’t look like they belonged on the same field as the Argentina team. It was a stark reminder of how far the national team still had to go.
5. The World Cup qualifying loss to Guatemala
Of all the matches, this might have been the most dispiriting, and the match that seemed to confirm what many people were whispering — that Klinsmann was in danger of losing the team. A pathetic 2-0 loss to Guatemala saw the team look disinterested, out-hustled, and devoid of ideas. There were some bad losses, but the U.S. never looked worse than in this game.
