WASHINGTON -- Sunday was a special day for the U.S.
national team. In front of a sellout crowd at the venerable RFK
Stadium, the team celebrated the U.S. Federation's 100th anniversary in
style with a 4-3 win over Germany.
It was a day nobody involved will soon forget. For the Yanks however, that is exactly what they must do now.
After
all, the game was only a friendly. The events that unfold over the next
16 days will determine if it was a stepping stone to Hexagonal success,
or another false dawn in Jurgen Klinsmann's tenure as head coach.
"We have to make sure we get the job done in these next three games," Clint Dempsey
told reporters after the win. "Whether we would have won these two
friendlies, not won these two friendlies, it all matters what we do in
these next three games. That's what it's all about and we have to take
care of business."
The U.S. begins its three-match World Cup qualifying run against Jamaica in Kingston on Friday. Klinsmann
used Sunday's game as preparation for facing the Reggae Boyz, as the
steamy conditions in the nation's capital replicated what the team will
likely face in the Caribbean.
Though he could have removed some of his stars in the second half, Klinsmann opted to leave them in, as the likes of Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones all played the full match.
"We
talked about maybe giving somebody a little bit of a rest, but I said
'No we've got to go a little bit further,' because that's what you face
when you go down to Jamaica," Klinsmann said.
"Looking to the
qualifiers, it helps the players see that they can go that tempo, and
that's why I didn't want to stop too early. I wanted them to go to a
little bit of pain," the former Germany boss added.
Following
the match at Jamaica, the U.S. will return home for a game against
Panama in Seattle on June 11, and will then face Honduras in Salt Lake
City on June 18.
"Now the road gets long and so morale,
motivation, feel-good factor, that's going to play a huge role," U.S.
goalkeeper Tim Howard told reporters. "I don't think it can be
understated because going down to Jamaica isn't going to be easy."
Though
the U.S. won against a depleted Germany side, an emphatic victory
against a European power will be a major confidence boost headed into
the games that really count.
“It gives you confidence, any time
you have confidence from a win it puts more wind in your sails," Dempsey
said. "You feel by getting a result against a team like this that you
can go down and get the job done in these games in CONCACAF.”
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น