The United States soccer team lost to Mexico for the first time since being under the guidance of coach Jürgen Klinsmann on October 10. The game was filled with tension – before, during, and undoubtedly after. This is a hard loss for the United States, and it will throw the team into even deeper turmoil.
The game was held in the Rose Bowl, and the stadium was sold out and filled to the brim with 90,000 soccer fans. However, the game being held in the Rose Bowl effectively eliminated the idea of “home field advantage” for either team. While the game was held in the U.S., there were more fans cheering on Mexico at the game in Pasadena, California than there were cheering for the United States.
The first half ended 1-1 after Javier Hernández, better known by his nickname Chicharito, scored the first goal for Mexico in the 10th minute and then Geoff Cameron tied the game back up for the United States five minutes later. The rest of the half proceeded without goals but with a few physical skirmishes between the teams. The second half was scoreless, but overtime more than made up for the lack of goals in the second half. Three goals were scored in overtime. First, Mexico’s Oribe Peralta scored one in the 96th minute. United States substitute Bobby Wood saved the United States once again and tied the score 2-2 in the 108th minute. However, the United States' chances of winning were finally put down when Paul Aguilar scored the game-winning goal in the 118th minute.
First of all, as a result of this loss, the United States will not be able to go to the Confederations Cup in 2017. The winner of the game last night would have automatically gained admittance into the tournament. The Cup is an incredibly valuable tournament to play in because it is considered a dry run for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The Confederations Cup is also held in Russia, and it is held the year before the World Cup; teams use the Confederations Cup to get used to the stadiums, the weather, and the teams that they will be playing the next year at the World Cup. Last night’s loss takes this valuable opportunity to test the competition away, and the United States will go into the 2018 World Cup at a disadvantage.
Second of all, this loss increases the tension surrounding Jürgen Klinsmann. Jürgen Klinsmann has been under scrutiny recently for not producing results with the U.S. Men’s National Team. The United States was recently knocked out early in the Gold Cup. Jamaica beat the United States, making the Gold Cup an embarrassing affair all around. In addition to not producing results, Klinsmann is also being scrutinized for his choice of players on the team and, more notably, his choice of players to leave off the team like former Captain and USMNT star Landon Donovan. Donovan spoke out against Klinsmann on ESPN FC, calling for Klinsmann’s termination if he lost against Mexico. Donovan said to ESPN FC that “We had a very poor summer with bad results in the Gold Cup… The reality is now, anywhere else in the world, if this coach had those results, and they lose this game against Mexico, they’d be fired.”
Many people have questioned whether Klinsmann should be fired. However, many others speculate that despite all of the rising tension, Klinsmann will avoid dismissal from the head coach role. Klinsmann earns more than any other U.S. soccer coach in history, so his termination would be costly for the United States Soccer Federation. However, loss to the United States’ fiercest rival and no admittance into a very important international competition to prepare for the World Cup are big strikes against Klinsmann.
I, for one, am tired of hearing and saying the phrase “we did well… for the United States at least” when it comes to U.S. performance in international soccer competitions. The United States has such an inclusive and widespread youth soccer program, that it’s amazing the United States doesn’t produce the better results. According to US Youth Soccer, 3,055,148 kids were registered with US Youth Soccer in 2014. Considering that we have such a large pool to draw from, the United States should be doing better in international competitions. If it takes firing Klinsmann to do this, so be it. The U.S. will now have to focus on World Cup Qualifying and securing entry into the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Hopefully, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team can at least succeed in this.
