[DC 86]

And they also have numerous players in top European leagues, Spain, Portugal, Premier, I think Italy. Again I didn't watch the Costa Rica game itself, I just am familiar a bit with their roster from Copa, so I didn't see who was out, sorry.

I think the lack of true world class players is perhaps the USMNT's biggest hurdle in getting beyond where they are and have been stuck at.

Costa Rica Starting Lineup (and the league they play in for their clubs): Navas (Spain La Liga), Umana (Costa Rica), Acosta (Costa Rica), Watson (MLS), Matarrita (MLS), Borges (Spain La Liga), Azofeifa (Costa Rica), Salvatierra (Costa Rica), Ruiz (Portugal), Bolanos (MLS), Veneers (MLS).

USA Starting Lineup: Guzan (England Premier), Chandler (Germany Bundesliga), Brooks (Germany Bundesliga), Gonzalez (Mexico Liga MX), Besler (MLS), Johnson (Germany Bundesliga), Bradley (MLS), Jones (MLS), Pulisic (Germany Bundesliga), Wood (Germany Bundesliga), Altidore (MLS).

So Costa Rica started 2 players from the "big five" European leagues, 4 from MLS, 4 from the low-level Costa Rica domestic league.

The USA started 6 players from the "big five" European leagues and 4 from MLS.

Costa Rica can't objectively be said to have more talent but they played as a team, with fire and a clear tactical plan. The US looked disjointed and seemed to give up after giving up the second goal, which is uncharacteristic of them. For 30 years the US was a team with a clear identity: extremely fit, unselfish, disciplined and organized, physically and mentally tough. A team that nobody wanted to play because win or lose the US would play a hard game until the final whistle. Nothing like the team that faced Costa Rica.

Mexico is a strong team with true world class players, but then again the US hadn't lost a home world cup qualifier to anyone in fifteen years, so it's a poor result.

Obviously the US needs world class players to compete at the absolute highest level but the current level (4th in the gold cup and last place in the final round of qualifying) is way below the level of the last two world cup cycles when the US was the strongest team in the region; that is the immediate and troubling issue.

I am a longtime USMNT fan and have attended qualifiers both in the US and abroad, and this is the nadir, not only because of the results but because Klinsmann seems to have lost the team amid inconsistent tactics, lineups, formations and pointing fingers at his players while undermining their chances of success. With Germany he ceded all game management to Joachim Low, with spectacular results, but with the US he has insisted on running the whole show resulting in this situation. The next qualifier is in March which gives a new manager plenty of time to take charge and make necessary changes, and conveniently Bruce Arena's contract with LA expires in the next few weeks.

Yes, Morris was injured and taken off the roster, he possibly would have come in as a late substitute but would not have started over Altidore or Wood.

[DC 86]

And they also have numerous players in top European leagues, Spain, Portugal, Premier, I think Italy. Again I didn't watch the Costa Rica game itself, I just am familiar a bit with their roster from Copa, so I didn't see who was out, sorry.

I think the lack of true world class players is perhaps the USMNT's biggest hurdle in getting beyond where they are and have been stuck at.

Costa Rica Starting Lineup (and the league they play in for their clubs): Navas (Spain La Liga), Umana (Costa Rica), Acosta (Costa Rica), Watson (MLS), Matarrita (MLS), Borges (Spain La Liga), Azofeifa (Costa Rica), Salvatierra (Costa Rica), Ruiz (Portugal), Bolanos (MLS), Veneers (MLS).

USA Starting Lineup: Guzan (England Premier), Chandler (Germany Bundesliga), Brooks (Germany Bundesliga), Gonzalez (Mexico Liga MX), Besler (MLS), Johnson (Germany Bundesliga), Bradley (MLS), Jones (MLS), Pulisic (Germany Bundesliga), Wood (Germany Bundesliga), Altidore (MLS).

So Costa Rica started 2 players from the "big five" European leagues, 4 from MLS, 4 from the low-level Costa Rica domestic league.

The USA started 6 players from the "big five" European leagues and 4 from MLS.

Costa Rica can't objectively be said to have more talent but they played as a team, with fire and a clear tactical plan. The US looked disjointed and seemed to give up after giving up the second goal, which is uncharacteristic of them. For 30 years the US was a team with a clear identity: extremely fit, unselfish, disciplined and organized, physically and mentally tough. A team that nobody wanted to play because win or lose the US would play a hard game until the final whistle. Nothing like the team that faced Costa Rica.

Mexico is a strong team with true world class players, but then again the US hadn't lost a home world cup qualifier to anyone in fifteen years, so it's a poor result.

Obviously the US needs world class players to compete at the absolute highest level but the current level (4th in the gold cup and last place in the final round of qualifying) is way below the level of the last two world cup cycles when the US was the strongest team in the region; that is the immediate and troubling issue.

I am a longtime USMNT fan and have attended qualifiers both in the US and abroad, and this is the nadir, not only because of the results but because Klinsmann seems to have lost the team amid inconsistent tactics, lineups, formations and pointing fingers at his players while undermining their chances of success. With Germany he ceded all game management to Joachim Low, with spectacular results, but with the US he has insisted on running the whole show resulting in this situation. The next qualifier is in March which gives a new manager plenty of time to take charge and make necessary changes, and conveniently Bruce Arena's contract with LA expires in the next few weeks.

Yes, Morris was injured and taken off the roster, he possibly would have come in as a late substitute but would not have started over Altidore or Wood.