For the second straight year, the United States Men's National Team will play the consolation game. What has changed from last year's performance in the 2015 Gold Cup up to this point? Has there really been any development, or does the team need a fresher look at things than the one Klinsmann can provide?
Something that shouldn't be taken lightly are those wins against South American sides. Beating Paraguay and Ecuador takes more than a smile, and the USMNT managed to beat both sides in stylish fashion. Their performance against Ecuador gave the Stars & Stripes their first knockout win against a CONMEBOL side in a major tournament, something that should stand out since La Tricolor currently leads the South American WC Qualifiers.
Zardes & Dempsey led the way against Ecuador, with each striker finding the back of the net.
One more good thing this tournament left for the USMNT is, finally, having a decent Starting XI to call their own. Klinsmann's rotations gave experts and fans more than one headache, and during this competition, the only changes "Klinsi" made were forced by bans. Considering their up and coming form in the CONCACAF WC Qualifiers, repeating a Starting XI during those games might provide some stability to the team, and end up with them re-gaining their spot as one of the best teams in the region.
Last, but not least, Clint Dempsey's performance during the tournament has to be the standout point. The Texas-born striker proved that, even after his 33th birthday, he still has a lot to offer for the USMNT. He was involved in six of the team's seven goals so far (3 goals scored, three assists), and whenever he couldn't shine for the team, the Stars & Stripes weren't able to make their presence felt. Coincidence? Not likely.
Dempsey now needs just five more goals to reach the top of the USMNT's goal scoring charts.
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Certainly, winning the tournament's 3rd place wasn't Klinsmann's goal when the tournament began, and that's the downside. Whenever they played against more talented teams such as Colombia or Argentina, the USMNT wasn't able to defend their ground. During the game against Argentina, the American side wasn't able to shoot once to Sergio Romero's net, and even if you're playing against one of the best footballers in the business, you can't hurt a team like that if you don't create chances to do so.
However, Jürgen Klinsmann has another view on what happened against La Albiceleste, and hinted what his team needs to become part of the elite.
"Maybe we’re a little bit too naive. Maybe we don’t want to hurt people. But that’s what you’ve got to do. We’ve got to step on their toes more and get them more frustrated," Klinsmann said after the 4-0 loss.
Messi destroyed the Americans with one goal and two assists. He was just too much to handle for the Stars & Stripes' players.
So, was the USMNT successful or not during the Copa América Centenario? We believe it was. Making it to the top-four teams in this tournaments isn't easy (Mexican fans will agree), and even if they got thrashed by the Argentinean team, there should be hope for a brighter future. The seed has been planted, and only fate will decide where it will grow from here.
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