The US might not be the weakest team in the final round of the World Cup (CONCACAF) qualifiers, but they lie on the bottom of the table with two back-to-back losses, against Mexico and Costa Rica respectively. The US media did not hide their disappointment after their embarrassing 4-0 loss to Costa Rica, and calls of sacking coach Jurgen Klinsmann have grabbed headlines.
There are a total of six teams in the final round, and they can still qualify for the World Cup if they even manage to finish in the top three, who can directly claim their World Cup berth. The fourth team will battle in a playoff contest with a team against Asia.
But, the way things have been going, Klinsmann has not been able to get his players play some brilliant football despite having some good players.
Even if they qualify for the World Cup, it could be embarrassing for the German against some top quality sides. US Soccer president Sunil Gulati has to make the final call, and the pressure is on him after such dismal performances.
SB Nation's Kevin McCauley believes that the coach should be fired not because of their recent losses, but believes that the performances of the US team have not been impressive, and also criticised some of his formations used in various matches.
New York Times' Sam Borden criticised the performance of the US team against Costa Rica. They were below par in all departments of the game including defence, midfield and attack. He felt there was no flow in the game, and also believes that post-match it is Klinsmann's future, which will be most talked about.
The sacking just seems to be around the corner, and Fox Sports' Ryan Rosenblatt has already put up a list of managers, who could replace the German for the post. And he believes former coach Bruce Arena could be one of the strong favourites to coach the US. Peter Vermes, Sigi Schmid, Oscar Pareja, Jason Kreis are some of the other names that have been mentioned.
Dylan Hernandez in his column for the LA Times also believes that it is time for Arena to comeback as the manager of the national team once again. He criticised saying that the team was poor on defence, and believes Klinsmann lacks the ability to manage limited personnel.
"What was indefensible was how the team played — disorganized on defence and apprehensive in attack. The Americans had no identity — or, in the words of midfielder Michael Bradley, they lacked "clear ideas." Worse, they mentally checked out in Costa Rica, which explains the humiliating 4-0 score. It is clear Klinsmann doesn't know how to manage his limited personnel. Or if he does, the players aren't responding to him," Hernandez wrote.
So, the writing is clear on the wall, Klinsamnn is no longer wanted as the US coach. It is time for Gulati to react to the defeat, pick a new coach and work on the team, which has the quality to qualify for the World Cup.
With four months to go till they play their next qualifying match in March 2017, US Soccer has some time to think about their decision and make a move, if they want to, for the right person, who can help the team take forward.
