An inconvenient truth about the firing of Jurgen Klinsmann on Monday afternoon is that it will cost U.S. Soccer several years of progress. This move is entirely about survival. When dangling from the ledge of a building, one does not worry about making the Dean’s List or getting promoted to vice president. One merely looks forward to the next visit to the bathroom.
This is the circumstance into which Klinsmann’s audacity has driven the U.S. men’s national soccer team. The United States has two defeats after the first two of 10 games in the final World Cup qualifying round.