BALTIMORE – US national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann strode into the conference room at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimoreon Fridayevening with a bit of confidence in his step.
And why wouldn’t he? The USMNT enter the quarterfinals of this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup favored to win the tournament after having breezed through the group stage, the only minor hiccup coming in their 1-1 draw against Panama in their final group encounter.
What’s more, the Yanks seem to have a clear path to the final, matched up against Cuba (Saturday, 5 pm ET, FOX/Univision/UDN in the US, SN World in Canada) in the quarters and – should they advance – Jamaica or Haiti in the semifinals. To most observers of the tournament, the USMNT are the team to beat. Klinsmann agrees.
“I think we are definitely the team to beat in this tournament,” he said. "It wasn’t perfect, the way we went through the group stage of this tournament, but still it was impressive how the players handled everything and how we finished off within two days to be already in the quarterfinals.
"And seeing all the other results of the other games, some of the ups and downs other teams have had, I think we were very consistent in what we’re doing. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but we were very consistent, very focused and that’s what we’re gonna do tomorrow night in order to get to [the semifinals in] Atlanta."
Cuba has certainly had some of the ups and downs that Klinsmann referred to. They were trounced by Mexico 6-0 in their opener, looked listless against Trinidad and Tobago in their second match and scored an improbable victory over Guatemala in their third group match, qualifying them for the knockout phase. The Mexicans – typical tournament favorites – have also had their own roller coaster ride, following their drubbing of the Cubans up with a scoreless draw against Guatemala and a shocking 4-4 draw against Trinidad and Tobago in their group closer.
Though the US didn’t overpower any particular opponent in their group run, they certainly were among the tournament’s more even-keeled sides, giving them a bump of confidence headed intoSaturdayafternoon.
“I think the confidence level is very good. I think every player knows what he has and the way we time things and organize things is all good, but we always have to reconfirm it,” Klinsmann said. “The next game is always the most difficult one. I see a group that is very zoomed in, they are very focused, they are hungry for this title because of the outcome – if you win this competition, you’re going to play a Confederations Cup with big teams in Russia.
"And so this is obviously a huge goal for everyone involved. The spirit is good, the atmosphere from day one was good, and now if they correct a couple of things on the field that they haven’t done so well, then it can only get better.”
Two CONCACAF teams dominate the Gold Cup: the United States and Mexico. Read our interactive presentation about five matches that helped shaped soccer in the region.
