At the conclusion of the 2011 Gold Cup, the USMNT was in a bit of a mess. Bob Bradley had a reasonably successful World Cup, before taking his squad into the Gold Cup final where they were outclassed by Mexico. This is where Klinsmann was brought in, and this is what the team he inherited looked like.
There are a lot of problems here, specifically in defense. Bradley decided to come out with a lineup that could potentially compete with Mexico to hold possession and the midfield battle. While that failed, the team was able to take an early 2-0 lead through the play from Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley and Freddy Adu (!