Commentary
Klinsmann Under the Microscope; Arena Escapes the Spotlight
By Rich Huber
March 20, 2006
On Wednesday, the United States will travel to Germany for the second time in three weeks for another World Cup tuneup, this time in Dortmund against the German National Team. The difference in the two team's plans and preparations for the game speak volumes about where both countries are in the world of soccer and how they view themselves leading up to the World Cup Finals.
For the United States, this is another of the "audition" games that Bruce Arena seems to favor. He will look at several players in various combinations and maybe even some different positions as he fine tunes his plan for the final roster. With players like Landon Donavon (calf injury), Demarcus Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu sitting this one out, there is no way that anyone can claim that this roster is anywhere near the final group of players who will represent the United States in June.
On the other hand, Jurgen Klinsmann has selected 23 players to represent Germany in this friendly, including five from Bayern Munich. Oliver Kahn will return after missing the Italy contest with a thigh injury, and stars like Michael Ballack will be on hand for what in Germany is a very important match.
So, in short, we have a game matching a patchwork lineup from the world's fifth-ranked team against the top players on a team currently ranked 22nd in the FIFA rankings. Curious, but it says volumes about where each team is in its preparation and expectation level for the coming World Cup Final.
Perhaps the most amazing thing that Arena has accomplished since taking the helm in 1998 is the management of expectations regarding the performance of his squad in international play. In 2002, after the dismal performance of the 1998 team in France, Arena had the soccer public in this country hoping against hope that there would be no repeat. Of course, those expectations were greatly exceeded as the United States made an appearance in the quarterfinal (a 1-0 loss to the Germans), and Arena was hailed (rightfully so) as a hero.
In a normal situation, he would be expected to build on that result this June, and those expectations would include matching or exceeding the 2002 performance. Instead, the combination of apathy on a national scale and a draw that the "soccer experts" have pegged as being extremely difficult have conspired to allow Arena to skate through with almost no pressure and little expectation. Simply put, if the United States advances out of its group, it has exceeded expectations and everything else will be gravy.
Contrast that to the position that Klinsmann finds himself in at this moment. This match, an otherwise meaningless friendly, is as close to a must-win as you can get without it counting in a major international competition.
As the host nation, the Germans are expected to perform at a high level before their countrymen, and the task is to go one better than 2002 when Germany was the runner-up to Brazil. German fans are having a hard time believing that this will be the outcome, and their team's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Italy did not help that perspective. Klinsmann has added to this pressure with his decision to keep his primary residence in California and ideas like trying to hire a field hockey coach as his technical advisor. All of these factors add up with other issues to make the thought of a loss on Wednesday unbearable to the hosts.
I am sure that Arena is all too happy to escape the pressure and spotlight that Klinsmann feels every moment of every day, and you cannot blame him. What the Germans are expecting from Klinsmann can be unfair and unrealistic, but that scrutiny comes with the importance of the sport in that country. Is it too much to hope that somehow, some way Bruce Arena or his successors will ever have that same type of pressure? Let's hope not.