PASADENA, Calif. — Some contend USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is in the hot seat. From where he’s sitting, everything is totally cool.
Actually, that exact phrase became Klinsmann's mantra when he addressed media Friday night ahead of his team’s CONCACAF Cup match against Mexico (Saturday, 9:30 pm ET, FS1, Univision, UDN).
More than one person asked him about perceived pressure on him to bring home a win on Saturday – especially in light of the US team’s fourth-place finish during this past summer’s Gold Cup. But Klinsmann deftly evaded them all with a smile.
“Obviously, as I said before, I was very upset with what happened in the Gold Cup. Very upset. And now it’s passed,” he said. “You can define pressure the way you feel it…. It’s totally cool with me. I have no problem with it at all.”
Perhaps bolstering that feeling of total coolness and lack of pressure? The anticipated increased turnout of USMNT fans, he said.
“I think you will definitely see a shift,” he said. “We know the American Outlaws did a lot of work; there are fans flying in from all over the country…. The team feels that. The support they’ve gotten over the years has grown.”
And so what if Landon Donovan recently indicated that Klinsmann’s job might be in danger? From his vantage point, Klinsmann just isn’t seeing it.
“That’s the beautiful part of it -- we all discuss the game, we all have different opinions, and we all love it. We all love the sport,” he said. “There’s no perfect coach, and there’s no perfect player ever.”
And then, one last time, came the mantra again. “People can have their feelings and opinions,” he said, “and that’s totally cool.”
To read all of MLSsoccer.com’s coverage of the CONCACAF Cup, visitour CONCACAF Cup page.
