Armour: Jurgen Klinsmann, USMNT still on shaky ground despite Costa Rica rout

CHICAGO — Impressive as the rout of Costa Rica was, it does not erase the considerable problems the U.S. men have.

Nor should it take the heat off of Jurgen Klinsmann.

In saying Tuesday afternoon that “no one has iron-clad job security,” U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati made it clear the point has come in Klinsmann’s five-year tenure that results, not progress or promise, are what matters most. A 4-0 thrashing of a CONCACAF rival in a must-win game a few hours later is a good start, but that’s all it is.

Lose Saturday against Paraguay, and the U.S. will be out of Copa America, with no evidence they are any better off than when Klinsmann took over.

“The result, in this country that’s all that matters to a lot of people,” Klinsmann said.

Well, yeah.

Clint Dempsey, USMNT rout Costa Rica to keep Copa America hopes alive

Klinsmann isn’t coaching an AYSO team, where all that matters is having fun with your friends, learning a few fundamentals and getting juice boxes when you’re done. This is the national team and, in this country, we prefer the people who wear U-S-A on their chests do so while winning.

Or at least making visible progress instead of being stuck on what feels like an endless learning curve.

When Klinsmann was hired five years ago, it was with the promise of elevating the United States to the next tier in international soccer. The Americans had reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup and, after crashing out in the group stage four years later, reached the knockout rounds in 2010.

Klinsmann was the one who could take the U.S. the rest of the way. The World Cup might still be out of reach — at least, initially — but after winning the title as a player and being the driving force behind the young German team that made a surprising run to the 2006 semifinals, Klinsmann knew what it took to be a powerhouse. He could build a program that could move seamlessly from one generation to the next, carry success over from one World Cup cycle to the next.

He hasn’t come close.

The Americans exited the 2014 World Cup in the round of 16, same as they had four years earlier. Instead of transformational victories, the Americans lost last year’s Gold Cup — to Jamaica, no less. That was followed by a loss to Mexico in a playoff for a spot in the Confederation’s Cup.

The U.S. men will miss the Olympics for a second consecutive time, absences that have impeded the development of an entire generation of players.

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All of this would be palatable if it seemed as if Klinsmann had a plan. But he is continuously tinkering with his lineup — Tuesday was the first time in two years he used the same lineup — and playing style in what looks an awful lot like a desperate effort to find something that works.

Klinsmann can condescend all he wants, saying that Americans don’t understand soccer. But this country is light years from what it was 10, even five years ago. Interest in soccer doesn’t end when the World Cup does, and the level of sophistication has grown to the point that fans are rightly confounded when he plays Geoff Cameron at right fullback instead of his usual center back position. And that’s just one example.

When Klinsmann insisted that the Americans were equal with Colombia in an embarrassing 2-0 loss Friday, it was not only laughable but an insult to the intelligence of the many people who have become invested in soccer in general and this team in particular. U.S. fans want to see tangible progress and their patience has worn thin, as evidenced by the “Fire Klinsmann” banner in the crowd at Soldier Field.

“Talking about something other than results is too easy because style is in the eye of the beholder,” Gulati said before the game. “Results are the top of the list.”

Maybe this Costa Rica game will be a turning point.

With Klinsmann switching to a 4-4-2 formation that opened up the flanks midway through the first half, the Americans finally showed some offensive rhythm and creativity. When Jermaine Jones pounced on a turnover at midfield, Clint Dempsey had space to run up field. Dempsey fed Jones at the top of the 18-yard box, and Jones buried the ball into the net off the far post for a 2-0 lead in the 37th minute.

“You see a team progressing,” Klinsmann said. “You see a team that badly wants to prove itself with teams of this caliber.”

Beat what will be a depleted Paraguay team Saturday, and the Americans will advance to the quarterfinals of Copa America.

But the Americans also have had a tendency to play inspired when their backs are against the wall.

“We stepped on the field for a big game with the right mentality,” Michael Bradley said. “From start to finish, we handled the game in a really good way.”

That’s all well and good, but pulling together in a time of crisis is no substitute for a solid and sustainable plan. Not five years into the job.