Following the US national team's 2-1 loss to Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann chatted about the tournament and the future of the national team on Facebook on Wednesday.
Klinsmann, who said he would leave the question of whether the USMNT was better in this tournament than they were four years ago to others following the game on Tuesday, answered questions from fans on the US Soccer account. The questions ranged from Tim Howard's reward following his record-breaking performance in goal against Belgium -- "...He was allowed to have two beers last night" -- to the future of the team.
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When asked about the challenges ahead and goals for 2018, Klinsmann discussed the slate of competitive action that he hoped would help develop more players ahead of the next World Cup.
"In general we want to develop more young players breaking into the Senior National Team and give them experience in the upcoming competition such as Gold Cup 2015, Olympics 2016, Copa America 2016, and hopefully the Confederation's Cup in 2017 in Russia," he said.
What about the future of young scorer Julian Green? Klinsmann thinks he will be able to break through with one of the world's best teams: "Hopefully he will get playing time at Bayern Munich and become a difference maker for the team there."
Turning to the tournament itself, Klinsmann, who pegged native country Germany "capable of getting to the final," lamented the absence of striker Jozy Altidore after going down with a hamstring injury in the first game against Ghana, saying "I believe he would have had a tremendous influence on the games."
His favorite moment came from that first game, though: "John Brooks goal against Ghana. It was a great moment for him and the team."
When asked what he was most surprised about at the World Cup, Klinsmann cited the support in the stadiums: "Totally overwhelmed by the support of our fans at every game in Brazil."
And his advice for new fans of the sport following the Americans' run in Brazil?
"Keep supporting us at every game. Keep watching us at upcoming competitions and supporting your local MLS team."
