What went wrong in Dublin, you ask? Pretty much everything. ASN's Brian Sciaretta takes a hard look at the U.S. national team's last five games and doesn't like what he sees.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

November 19, 2014

11:05 AM SHARE THIS STORY



suffered its worst defeat in years on Tuesday when it was thoroughly outclassed by Ireland in a 4-1 rout in Dublin. The warning signs have been pointing toward a result like this one, and it is becoming increasingly clear things need to change quickly for the team.

The team’s core is complacent and the players looked both tired and uncomfortable. After two forgettable games in October, the games in November ended the year on a sour note.

So how did it happen? What are the solutions? Here's my take.

Stale, tired, prone to late collapses

Since the World Cup, the U.S. national team has looked anemic in the attack and completely devoid of ideas about how to play for 90 minutes. The pattern is becoming distressingly familiar: the U.S. produces a few nice moments inside the first 30 minutes and then fades from the game to the point where the opponents are dominating in the second half. The final 10 minutes have been an absolute nightmare.

Losing friendlies is one thing. If teams and coaches are building toward a transformation, you can accept bad losses. But that wasn’t the case in these recent contests. The same sort of mistakes were repeated over and over, with athletes asked to play out of position and nobody on the squad seeming to be on the same page.

“You ... work with an extended group of players that goes beyond the 20 that are called in or the 22, and then you make your decisions based on the quality of those guys,” Klinsmann said in 2011 when discussing his vision for the U.S. national team. “The style of play that we'd like to develop, that we'd like to describe in kind of a way that is proactive, that is possession oriented, and down the road hopefully attractive to the fans and fun for the players is always based on the qualities of players that you have and their strengths.”

That hasn’t been the case recently, as players were asked to play positions that don't suit them. Particularly in the midfield, players have not looked comfortable in their Klinsmann-mandated roles. Alfredo Morales and Alejandro Bedoya both played wide, Mix Diskerud was asked to be the creative force behind the forwards, and there was a complete absence of speed anywhere on the field.

This team included mostly players from the World Cup roster and these players have spent considerable time together this year. It should have been a cohesive unit. Instead it suffered its worst defeat in years.

The players were poor but Klinsmann deserves most of the blame. With the team’s lackluster performances in the second half, it points to a failure of the coaching staff to adjust or read the opponents. These games are the perfect time to experiment and try new approaches with a busy few years ahead. Instead, Klinsmann has used mostly the same players inside of the same formations. There was no hunger or desire on display.

Following the game Klinsmann repeated oft-stated quotes that his team needs to play “nastier” and that there will be growing paints when bringing in new players. It seems like strange advice after his team was outplayed by an Irish team that could hardly be described as “nasty” and that included many new players of its own.

January camp will be crucial

The team needs changes heading into 2015. The familiar faces of 2014 need to be challenged to bring new ideas and a different dynamic. The January camp has become very important in light of the recent results. Aside from Aron Johannsson, Terrence Boyd, and Danny Williams—who are all recovering from long-term injuries—the last five games have utilized all of Klinsmann’s realistic options in Europe at the moment.

January camp provides Klinsmann with a tremendous opportunity to look at some fresh faces—something this club sorely needs. He will have the opportunity to observe the best American players in MLS and he should use it to look at newer players instead of relying heavily on familiar faces like Graham Zusi, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Chris Wondolowski, Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, or even Clint Dempsey.

There are plenty of players he should call up and assess: Perry Kitchen, Wil Trapp, Matt Hedges, Luis Silva, Kelyn Rowe, and Gyasi Zardes all enjoyed strong MLS seasons and definitely deserve a shot. Luis Gil has earned a longer look too.

Prioritize playing time

Soon after Klinsmann was hired on October 11, 2011, he had this to say ahead of a friendly against Ecuador:

“I sent a message in my first get-together for the Mexico game and I said for me the most important thing for you guys is that you play,” Klinsmann said. “If you’re on the bench somewhere, it doesn’t matter in Europe or in MLS, or in Mexico, you have a problem coming in here. And so that is very important for the players to know. First comes the rhythm with their club team and then we pick them up from that rhythm.”

Flash forward to November 2014 and Klinsmann's edict doesn’t’ seem to apply anymore. And yes, it's a problem. Jozy Altidore, Bobby Wood, Timothy Chandler, John Brooks, Julian Green, and Fabian Johnson are all struggling for time with their clubs and yet all seem to be near-automatic call-ups. Klinsmann has stressed the internal competition he wants to see within the U.S. squad but many of his own call-ups seem to reward players who can't crack their clubs' lineup. It should hardly come as a surprise that with the exception of John Brooks, all of these players struggled against international competition.

Some of the call-ups have been beyond puzzling. Wood has been demoted to the reserve teams at one of the worst 2.Bundesliga teams, Miguel Ibarra is in the NASL and hasn’t given any indication he is ready for this level, and Jordan Morris is talented but still without any professional experience.

The Lee Nguyen call-up was excellent because it rewarded a player who was excelling at a position of need within the U.S.squad. Nguyen went out and earned his place on the national team with MVP-caliber play so it was hardly surprising that he played with such hunger and purpose in his few minutes against Colombia.

On the other hand it should not be surprising to see players who are benched at their clubs often show up with the national team both rusty and, even worse, complacent. Prioritizing players like Nguyen who are playing well with their clubs can help bring back internal competition and reduce complacency.

If players have poor or non-existent club form, their probability of success on the national team is miniscule. If Klinsmann can expand the player pool, he can have the option of dropping more players that are riding the bench and go with others that are in form.

Ireland Played "Klinsmann-Style" Soccer

Ireland looked like the team Klinsmann has often described—a young, hungry side playing confident, passionate, dynamic soccer. The Irish tried new things and were not afraid to make mistakes, and were rewarded with a 4-1 victory.

When Klinsmann had his contract extended and also assumed the role of U.S. technical director, he said that the first cycle was about laying the foundation for what he wanted to achieve in the second cycle. Through five games since the end of the World Cup, the Americans have regressed and the passion has been sorely missing.

U.S. Soccer is gambling that Klinsmann will avoid the poor second cycles that plagued former national team coaches Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley. If the last few months are any indication, that may not be such a smart bet.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter