91114_isi_klinsmannjurgen_usmntte090314231 Thomas Eisenhuth/isiphotos.com
U.S. National Team

Klinsmann Unveils Detailed New Approach to Gameplay

Following last week's 1-0 win over the Czech Republic, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann spoke candidly, and in considerable detail, about some of the tactics he intends to deploy going forward.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
September 11, 2014
8:12 PM
OCTOBER SHOULD BE an exciting time for the United States men's national team as head coach Jurgen Klinsmann today unveiled his approach for the upcoming games against Ecuador and Honduras.

In a wide-ranging interview released on U.S. Soccer’s official website, Klinsmann said that while he is pleased with the results against the Czech Republic, he expects to go with the best-possible roster for the October games, which will include players based in Major League Soccer – unlike the recent friendly against the Czech Republic. He also said that he was impressed with the way the younger players came through in Prague.

“Looking toward the October games against Ecuador and Honduras, we definitely [want to use] the strongest squad possible,” Klinsmann said. “It’s exciting for the fans and for us. We look at bringing the players back that won in the Czech Republic, and also to mix them with the players here in MLS. We can make our comparisons and see where they are at.”

Following the 1-0 win over the Czechs, Klinsmann said in the post-game press conference that many of the young players that were involved in that camp would be part of the October roster as well. In that game, Joe Gyau, Greg Garza, and Emerson Hyndman earned their first caps while Julian Green earned his first international start.

On the bench that day: Rubio Rubin, Jordan Morris, and Cody Cropper—all of whom were all looking to make their debuts. After seeing these players in camp, Klinsmann is eager to continue to work with them and provide competition to the experienced veterans on the squad.

“We are very, very excited about the next generation of players coming through,” Klinsmann said. “Having seen in training now players like Emerson Hyndman, Rubio Rubin, Joe Gyau, and Julian Green—who has been with us for quite some time—seeing that potential in those players as well as many others in line is exciting because we can foresee a path over the next four years. We would like to give them more opportunities to play, more opportunities to become more comfortable with the speed of the senior national team, and the standards that we ask for in this environment. That creates competition with the more experienced players.”

Klinsmann also outlined his vision stylistically for the U.S. in this new cycle which will not have a competitive game until next summer’s Gold Cup. At the World Cup, the U.S. advanced out of a challenging group but was heavily outshot and not able to maintain possession against top teams. Moving forward, Klinsmann wants to address this problem by emphasizing improved play out of the backline which, in turn, eases pressure on the midfield and forwards. In the next few games, he wants to see fewer long balls and better, more concise passing on the ground.

“It’s definitely a huge step for us to play out of the back, to find defenders and open up the game right away and not to play long balls all the time,” Klinsmann said. “Pretty much every long ball is a turn over.”

“We want this game to be developed from the back into the midfield and then into the forwards and not to be forced always to play long balls,” he added. “This is something we are going to encourage more and more going forward. We want to keep the ball. We want to build out of the back. We want them to have the confidence to do that and not worry about mistakes. I think it was a big step forward, and we will emphasize that going into the October games as well.”

Klinsmann also touched upon a shift he sees in global soccer: Teams are becoming more well-rounded in that all of the players on the field are expected to be two-way players—helping both offensively and defensively.

He noted that this was apparent at the last World Cup and he specifically noted that the Netherlands and Mexico were returning to more traditional 3-5-2 formations and that even Manchester United under Louis van Gal are becoming more conservative.

Prior to the U.S. national team’s friendly against Nigeria just before the World Cup, Klinsmann said that talk of formations did not really matter and that what was really important was how the team connected with each other. He elaborated on this today, and it offered a glimpse as to what he might emphasize among U.S. youth teams and the full national team when it reconvenes next month.

“A lot of teams are becoming a little more conservative,” Klinsmann said. “The trend overall is that everybody attacks and defends as a unit. No matter what system you play, at the end the day you have to have strikers who are able to high pressure. You need to have defenders who step it high up and shift the game into the opponent’s half. You need to have goalkeepers being able to play out of the back and be technically gifted and not just bang the ball long and cause turnover after turnover. Those overall trends have been happening for the last few years.”

“It makes the systems look more and more irrelevant, because at the end of the day it matters how a team plays as a whole unit,” he continued. “No matter what the system, it’s really interesting to see that every coach at the highest level wants to see his team connected. It’s getting more and more difficult for so-called 'star players' if they don’t have the willingness to work both ways.

"If your No. 10 or your forward doesn’t want to put people under pressure or doesn’t want to work defensively, it will be more difficult for them because you can’t afford just to have eight or nine guys work and have one or two guys not doing all that work.

"That approach doesn’t work anymore.”

What do you think of Klinsmann's manifesto? Like it? Do you think he will enforce it? Share your take below.

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

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