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SAO PAULO – Jurgen Klinsmann famously said he booked his plane ticket back to California after July 13, the date of the World Cup final. It was a sign of his belief in the possibility. Instead he leaves on July 3.

"I changed the flight [Tuesday night]," he said here with a laugh.

There may be no bigger winner coming out of U.S. Soccer's dramatic and closely followed World Cup trip than Klinsmann, the charismatic, telegenic, German-born, Orange County-relocated national team coach and technical director.

View photos United States' Geoff Cameron, left, and Julian Green sit on the pitch after the loss to Belgium. (AP) More

He is a bona fide star now, recognized and respected in a way no soccer coach has ever been in the United States. That the Americans fared no better here than in 2010 – eliminated in the round of 16, and this time in a less competitive game – hardly matters.

Klinsmann is the king of U.S. Soccer. It's inherent that U.S. Soccer capitalizes on it.

If nothing else, this is why the decision to contract Klinsmann through the 2018 World Cup in Russia makes sense. The U.S. needs a plan. It needs direction. It needs a voice that he will now speak with unquestioned authority to the next generation of players and their coaches, well aware that his directives will be followed.

[More World Cup: Tim Howard's new government role?]

Maybe Klinsmann's grand plan to turn the United States into an elite program is a pipe dream when there are so many athletic options for kids. It's worth finding out, though, because if not him, then who? If not now, then when?

"We built a lot through the last two to three years," he said of the efforts made since his hiring. "It's working. But with every aspect of player development, there is work to be done."

Klinsmann, 49, leaves Brazil with mixed results at this World Cup.

His players competed with tremendous heart and motivation – "a team that went to its limits," he said. It found ways to remain in games it was outclassed, creating opportunities for victory that lesser-willed teams wouldn't have. There were some promising, if brief, performances by young talent such as DeAndre Yedlin and Julian Green.

There remained issues, though. He failed to get his players to embrace a more aggressive, attacking style and seems mystified at his inability to make that happen – "I think it's a mentality we have to break through," he said – and his offense was incapable of creating sustained chances, let alone many goals.

And, of course, in the end his team did no better than Bob Bradley's four years ago. It still won just a single game. Klinsmann understands the focus on the short-term results.

"We get benchmarked at the World Cup," he said. "So there's definitely stuff we need to improve."

The question isn't solely whether he can do it. It's whether anyone can? If nothing else, this unique moment, the combination of a coach who thrives in the spotlight and a glare that hit record levels from adoring fans, makes this a powerful moment of opportunity for U.S. Soccer.

View photos Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, front, gets a shot past Tim Howard. (AP) More

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