Twistity Sports Exclusive: TODAY’S THE DAY

 
In the months leading up to the World Cup, USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann insisted fiercely that his team had no chance of winning this fascinating and intense tournament. No chance. The USA would have to play better soccer than it seemed capable of, and do it for seven games.

Klinsmann has changed his view. As the USA progressed through Group G and into Tuesday’s knockout round match with Belgium, he has grown (publicly) more confident.

“Anything now going forward is possible,” he said Monday. “Anything. For any team.”

Well, that’s a reversal of form, and a welcome one. He has told his players to change their plane reservations to July 14, the day after the final. He has done so himself. He has activated injured striker Jozy Altidore (hamstring) for the Belgium match more as a psychological ploy than anything else, as it is unlikely Altidore will play much, if at all.

In the knockout round, the name sums it up. There’s no margin of error, no chance to come back from a bad effort. Losses are extraordinarily final and painful (see Algeria after its 2-1 loss to Germany on Monday, all goals scored in extra time after a 0-0 score in the first 90 minutes).

It’s fair to say the USA has exceeded expectations, but maybe because Klinsmann set them so low. He talked up Group G as the ‘group of death’ and worried about the hostile heat in Brazil but his team won its first game and tied its second, virtually assuring that it would move on. A 1-0 loss to Germany only reaffirmed the quality of the game his club played.

The team has developed a new fan base and the World Cup’s popularity in the USA soars with each day’s matches. A win against Belgium could cement the sport’s place on that giant buffet table of American pastimes.

Anything is possible. Just as Klinsmann said.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .