It’s easy to say coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s tactical changes and personnel switches — opting for a 4-4-2 instead of a 4-5-1 and inserting Michael Bradley into central midfield for Maurice Edu — helped the U.S. score more in Tuesday’s 3-2 win at Slovenia than they had in the first six matches of Klinsmann’s tenure. But that discounts the responsibility players felt themselves after a lackluster 1-0 loss at France last week.
“Not satisfied with the ‘it was a good experience’ line anymore,” U.S. forward Jozy Altidore tweeted on Saturday. “We need to be better. #simpleasthat.”
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Against Slovenia, the U.S. was just that, almost as if the match was the inspired second half of a game that started in Paris. Klinsmann, unlike that first half four days prior, put his team in the best place to succeed — perhaps for the first time since he took over the team in August.
But it would be wise to refrain from dubbing the coach a tactical genius until he’s able to repeat the result more than once.
– Craig Stouffer
