But the talk among was nearly universally positive.
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“For us to compete in six matches will be important, so that we can draw conclusions from the tournament”, he said. How much that edge will actually impact final outcome remains to be seen, as the hosts had played extremely well at times on their home turf before falling to the Argentinians.
“Then you don’t go kind of into their faces and you don’t step on their toes”, he said, “and all these things that you need to do in order to have some sort of success against very physical South American teams”. Both teams knocked at the door afterwards, each bouncing shots off the crossbar and posts.
And while a pat on the back from the opposing coach may not be enough to satisfy United States fans who expect more from the national team, Klinsmann thought it a classy gesture. “But after the way we played leading up to the semis, I think a lot of us felt like there was more in there to gain”.
The troika running the Copa America Centenario proclaimed the soccer tournament a rousing success on Friday heading into the final weekend of the special event hosted by the US, but would not commit to a regular arrangement. ‘We are waiting for that answer.
Wood is included in that group.
Gonzalo Higuaín then tip-toed to score the team’s third goal just five minutes after the restart before Messi once again assisted, this time to Higuaín, at the 86th minute to complete the four-goal haul of La Albiceleste. But he showed other attributes, including willingness to do the dirty work and aggressive running that opened up space for others, most notably Clint Dempsey.
Both games were hugely entertaining, with Argentina dominating the match earlier in the month behind goals from Angel Di Maria and Ever Banega before Jose Fuenzalida scored a consolation goal in second-half stoppage time. “I thought we pressed pretty well and I thought overall it was a good team performance”.
Bobby Wood came closest to scoring for the USA when he hit a post in the 62nd, one minute after Colombia’s Juan Cuadrado hit the crossbar.
This third place match against Colombia is a great opportunity for Klinsmann to experiment with the lineup before World Cup qualifying resumes in September.
However, the game could be played during the dates set aside for worldwide friendlies – likely in November – or next summer, 12 months ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russian Federation.
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“They have to understand what global competition is about and the balance”, Pekerman said. It certainly seems like he will stick with his favorites no matter what – even at the expense of some of the country’s more talented players. Bundesliga will no doubt be hard and he’ll need to adapt quickly. Despite the big crowds, the Copa has not had the ugly fan riots and game disruptions that have stained the Euro 2016 tournament in France. Defenders Michael Orozco and Matt Besler played out of necessity with John Brooks and Fabian Johnson injured, and grizzled veteran Tim Howard, in for Brad Guzan, turned back Father Time with two big saves to keep the U.S. close. “I’m just trying to pay them back”.
