United States Drop Confederation Cup Playoff Match To Mexico

 Prevent defense. I think that sums up our United States Mens National Team. Rarely did you see many attacks from the US squad although they did manage to capitalize on two rare opportunities. Mexico on the other hand took the New England Patriots approach of constantly pressing forward. It was the difference in the match and will likely put pressure on Jurgen Klinsmann.
 The match did go into extra time, but this was also due to the reactive posture of the US. The winning goal came in the 118th minute through a rather porous defense.
 This was the first win against the US in six attempts by Mexico and keeps the USMNT sidelined for the 2017 Fifa Confederations Cup.
 There are plenty of articles to read on the subject but I think it boils down to a lack of talent for the US. We're not far off from being able to compete at  higher level on the international stage, but right now it's not going happen. Coach Klinsmann gets a lot of flack for the bizarre press conferences he holds, ( note to everyone, watch a few pro, or college football press conferences) but he works with what he has available. You won't find a Ronoldo, Messi, Lewandowski or even a Wayne Rooney. We do have some scrappy players, but the talent level just isn't quite there yet. I imagine Klinsmann would love to have an attacking team such as Bayern Munich, but the available player pool may not allow that. It's likely he is on the hot seat but even if he is let go, who will replace him? It's safe to say  prominent coaches the world over are not beating down the door to coach the USMNT.

The next few years leading up to World Cup 2018 should be interesting to watch.

~ The Bartender