When Jurgen Klinsmann took over the U.S. men's soccer team last year, he promised his side would play a proactive style and enforce its will on opponents. Americans, he said, don't like to be dictated to, so why not take that philosophy onto the pitch?

Klinsmann's team will advance to the final round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup with a win or draw against Guatemala in Kansas City, Kan., Tuesday night. Offensively though, Klinsmann's troops are a step behind their predecessors in most of the main statistical categories....