In his four years as coach of the U.S. national soccer team, Juergen Klinsmann has preached the same message: CONCACAF is a lot tougher than it looks.
His players appear committed to proving their boss right. Two years after running the table and outscoring opponents 20-4 in the 2013 Gold Cup, the U.S. will limp into the quarterfinals of this summer's event on Saturday after a group-play draw with Panama and a win over Haiti, in which the Americans were beaten everywhere but on the scoreboard.
There is no room for similar errors or false confidence now that the region's most tournament has reached the elimination stage.