The United States' participation in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup ended on a depressing note Saturday as the Americans lost the third-place game to Panama in a penalty shootout. That defeat followed a 2-1 upset at the hands of Jamaica and came at the end of a tournament in which the U.S. played poorly overall.
Despite these facts, the U.S. Soccer Federation has publicly backed coach Jurgen Klinsmann. But with a crucial sequence of matches coming up in October, that support could—and probably should—be less absolute than it currently seems.
In six games at this summer's Gold Cup, the U.