U.S. Men’s National Team head coach JURGEN KLINSMANN
On trying to improve the team’s use of width during play:
“We wanted our fullbacks going forward and we tried to use creativity of Jose Torres and Graham (Zusi), they created more space there and they know when to stay on the sideline and when to tuck in. I think the way Danny Williams played tonight tells you a little bit about his role which he is growing into in the Bundesliga. He’s a very good number six and I know we have different [number sixes] now, but he gave you a good taste that he’s a very good holding player. When you keep the ball a little bit longer and don’t lose it right away it changes the dynamic of the game. I think with the field being a beautiful field, it was easy to do tonight.”
On the flexibility needed to make changes to the lineup:
“As a National Team coach, in the short period of time we are trying to work out a puzzle that matches best with different players coming from different backgrounds and clubs. The one thing is on the tactical side is how you want to shape it and how you want play and train, the other thing is to tell the players in a short amount of time the importance of what’s going on. Tomorrow morning they’re all going back with their clubs and it isn’t easy for the players. It was important for them to understand the urgency we have in World Cup Qualifying. I went through qualifiers myself and when we won the World Cup in 1990, we almost didn’t qualify. It was down to the last game which we won 2-1 and the opponent, Wales, missed a 100-percent chance in the 88th minute and Germany almost didn’t go to the World Cup. That’s how close it can get. We try to tell players to not waste time and not waste points. We wasted points in Jamaica. It was really important they understand to get down to business tonight and they responded well. Our task is really to give them the right perspective in the couple of days knowing that tomorrow they’re going to be all gone again.”
On the play of Danny Williams and Steve Cherundolo:
“Steve is phenomenal. He’s just an exceptional professional. That’s why we didn’t want to risk anything. He wasn’t 100-percent in Kingston. He knows that. His experience, how he reads the game and anticipates the game and his tempo down the wing is very important to us. We are really happy to have him playing on such a high level. Danny Williams’ [position] has to do with the competition. When do you get the opportunity to play him in the number six spot. I know from his club coach that his preferred spot is the number six role, but we have players that are really good there too. We can have Jermaine Jones there and Kyle Beckerman and Maurice Edu there and all are doing well. It’s not that there is a big difference. We have to create the puzzle with all the elements, but I’m sure that’s not the last time you’ll see him playing number six for us.”
On the play of Jose Torres:
“Over the last months, we’ve had quite a few talks with Jose on his role here with the national team. We want him to take more responsibility and make his case stronger. We want him to become a real leader and in Pachuca we are all very well aware of how things are going in his club. We all agree he has tremendous talent and he has matured as a player, but still he needs to become more physical and take over the game. He needs to play more killer balls into the strikers – the decisive things that change the game. We’re working on that with him and we are patient. We are building a bigger roster for 2013 – we’ve got to get the job done now first – but it’ll be a very busy year with qualifiers and Gold Cup. It’s up to Jose and what he wants to make out of his career.”
On the presence of Herculez Gomez in the National Team:
“You talk about hunger, he’s a role model. In every training session, he gives you what he gave tonight. If you tell him at 2 a.m. to go out and bend the ball around, he’s there. We need that. He has that determination that he wants to score so badly. This is something we need to develop even more in our team – that hunger to succeed and that hunger to score, but also that willingness to suffer. We are very happy to have him with us.”
On the significance of playing on Sept. 11:
“Last night, the three gentlemen that were honored before the game came by after dinner and one of the firefighters talked to the group for about an hour just telling his story of his fire department. It was a big learning experience for us. I think that everyone was aware of this and had these certain feelings, we all knew this was a very special day. The players were outstanding in how they responded on the field.”
