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15
May 13
Bolton Wanderers midfielder Stuart Holden could soon feature in the national team according to USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann. The midfielder last made a competitive appearance for the national team back in 2010. He suffered a broken leg while playing for the national team and he has been on the road to recovery since then. However, he could be back to full fitness and his best in the next couple of weeks according to Klinsmann. He has also praised the attitude of the player by saying that it is hugely responsible for his comeback.
Klinsmann has revealed that he plans to use Holden in the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup. There is a lot of pressure on Klinsmann to deliver results. The team is struggling to make it into the FIFA World Cup 2014. However, the return of Holden could be a massive boost, as he was one of the best players for United States at the FIFA World Cup 2010. He broke his leg after a challenge from Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong in a friendly match. Even though he recovered pretty quickly from the injury, subsequent challenges and complications have kept him out of the game for this period.
Now, though, he is fully fit and ready to make his comeback according to Klinsmann.
“We’ve been in touch with Stuart throughout this whole injury period. The last couple of months have given us a lot of positive signals. I spoke to his coach at Bolton, and spoke to his coach at Sheffield Wednesday where he played some very important minutes and games while on loan. He’s on his way back. That being said, we want to have him back in our picture. We are going to bring him for the May-June camp, and also for the Gold Cup,” said Klinsmann.
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25
Apr 13
The United States have relied on the performances of Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan for the last two matches due to the absence of the injured Tim Howard. United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann has said that he has so far been extremely pleased with the performances of his stand-in goalkeeper. Guzan kept two clean sheets for the team in the matches against Costa Rica and Mexico. Even though the United States have been on a poor run of form in recent months, the form of the goalkeeper delighted the manager.
Klinsmann has come under a lot of pressure in recent months due to the lack of progress. The team has managed just one win in the last five matches, and that too came against Costa Rica. As a result, they are currently fighting against the likes of Honduras in the table. Klinsmann has said that these two performances from Guzan is a clear indication that he should not be considered as a number two within the team. He has praised his communication skills and leadership abilities on the pitch. The 28-year-old has been a first team regular for this club Aston Villa this season.
He made just seven appearances in total last season, but he has been a first team regular under the management of Paul Lambert.
“Brad’s performance was huge. He was very vocal and had great communication, he gave us a lot of confidence throughout the last 10 days. He understood his situation and knew it was unique but he made the best of it. He made it clear that if anything happens to Tim right now, I’m more than a No. 2. That was the signal [sent]. There’s still hope that Tim is getting as healthy as possible. He’s a personality that we need, we need that leadership,” said Klinsmann.
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22
Feb 13
A lot of questions have been raised over the status of the United States national team following the embarrassing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Honduras in the World Cup qualifying campaign recently. This is the third consecutive match without a victory for the team. The team has also recently suffered embarrassing defeats at the hands of Mexico as well. Even though the draws against Russia and Canada were the friendly matches, the form of the team has been extremely concerning for the media and the fans. The United States national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann has accepted the fact that it is an extremely disappointing run of form for the team.
He is hoping to put things right when United States take on Costa Rica in the next World Cup qualifying match in the month of March. This will be followed by the away trip to Mexico in the other World Cup qualifying match during this international weekend. These two matches will probably determine the status of United States qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Klinsmann has said that there are no excuses for the defeat against Honduras. He said that a number of his players underperformed in this match, but he is hoping for better performance from them in the next match.
“It’s not what we wanted. We wanted to start with a positive result. We have to fix that right away now against Costa Rica in March. But we knew it would be really difficult. Both teams play on the same field and there are no excuses. When you lose a game there are reasons for it and the reasons today were too many players performed under their level. We believe Omar is ready for the next step, ready for the international level,” said Klinsmann after the defeat.
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16
Jan 13
The United States goalkeeper Tim Howard has said that he feels that the English Premier league title race is far from over even though Manchester United have a healthy lead in the table. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have a four point advantage over City in the table, while they have an even more commanding lead to the third placed team Chelsea. This has led to many believing that the title race is almost over even before Christmas. Tim Howard, though, things that there are many games left in the Premier league for things to change in the second half of the season.
Everton have started the season extremely well and they have managed to maintain the momentum as well. This has meant that they are, for the first time in seven seasons, competing for a spot in the top four along with the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal. They are currently in the fifth spot in the Premier league, but they are level with the fourth placed team Arsenal. They are in the fifth position only in virtue of the poor goal difference. The great start to the season has certainly helped the team according to Howard, who has seen Everton falter on a number of occasions at the start of the season.
“I feel under a lot of pressure at Everton because we have a strong team and a strong manager (David Moyes) who expects us to win every weekend. The feeling (beating United) was great as we needed to start the season strong. African players have been a revelation in the Barclays Premier League in the last 10 to 15 years and there is more to come… we love their flair,” said the US international Tim Howard, who has also said that he will not play as long as his fellow countryman Brad Friedel.
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20
Dec 12
The United States national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann has said that he will be fully respecting the decision of the LA Galaxy striker Landon Donovan when it comes to his future with the national team. The 30-year-old recently said that he was considering his future with the national team after being burnt out as a result of a lot of football in recent years. Even though the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be coming to near America after a long time, Donovan recently revealed that it is extremely doubtful that he will be part of this competition. Donovan has been an integral part of the national team for the last decade.
However, it is pretty clear that he does not have a long time left in the game, which means that Klinsmann has left the decision to play for the national team to the player itself. He has said that he will not be putting any pressure on the player to participate for the national team at the World Cup, which they are hoping to qualify in relative ease. The 30-year-old has also said that he will be making a decision on his playing career following the end of the match between LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, which gives his team yet another opportunity to lift the MLS cup.
“I find it very courageous of him to talk openly about what is going through his mind. I can understand all those thoughts. He’s carrying this topic with him since quite awhile. Whatever he decides to do will be very respected by us,” said Klinsmann about the decision taken by Landon Donovan. The manager has said that he will be taking a look at a number of young and promising players including Altidore for the upcoming qualifying and friendly matches.