Jurgen Klinsmann wants the United States to play a proactive style in the Gold Cup.
“We have a responsibility to win our big tournaments," said Klinsmann. "Like the Gold Cup this summer, that will hopefully take us to the Confederations Cup in 2017. But you have your development situations too. Right now we’re in a more developmental period. Of course we want to win all of our friendly games, but they give us the opportunity to develop players too. I can ask the question ‘how good are you?’ ‘Do you understand what it means to play at the international level?’ We have players in Europe and South America and Mexico too. The only way to meld them together is to bring them in and let them swim in the cold water.”
Klinsmann's goal is for the United States to reach the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018.
"We set the bar very high because we want to explain to the players what it really takes to get to a semi-final. We left Ghana and Portugal behind us in Brazil 2014 and we almost drew with Germany and almost beat Belgium too. These are all big names. So the players understand they can actually beat big nations if everything goes well on that particular day. Now we need to educate the players what to do when the Round of 16 is over. We have to examine what it takes to win a quarterfinal, to get into a semi-final. A lot of consistency is required. The path over the next three and half years is to explain constantly to the players that anything is possible. You can do this, but you have to learn to become a tournament team."
Klinsmann was also asked what qualities the American players still need to work on.
"Reading the game ahead is something we still need to work on. Tactically understanding certain elements like playing a high line and shifting quickly from defence to attack and back again. Staying always connected with each other. The mental alertness, to not switch off – this still needs work. But this comes with experience and competition. So the more experience and competition they get, the faster it will come. The more they will become consistent. It’s only matter of time before these areas get better too. We will catch up. The positives are outweighing the negatives. The game is on the rise in America."