US Soccer coach says he was right to predict no World Cup title
United States' head coach Juergen Klinsmann reacts during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Belgium and the USA at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, Tuesday, July 1, 2014. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
SAO PAULO — Jurgen Klinsmann believes he was right to say the United States wasn’t ready to win the World Cup, because he didn’t want to head to the tournament after raising “expectations to kind of a level that is over the moon.”
The Americans were eliminated in the round of 16 for the second straight tournament, losing to Belgium 2-1 in extra time Tuesday.
Klinsmann says the record audience that tuned in at home will help pressure players to improve and will create competition for positions. In his wrap-up news conference Wednesday, he said that “if you have a bad performance, then people should approach you and tell you that, so make sure that next game is not bad anymore and that you step it up.”
