|
 Klinsmann fielded experimental teams in friendlies against Czech
Republic and Ecuador but will field a side with a mix of youth and
experience at FAU Stadium against the regional rivals.
Forward Clint Dempsey and midfielders Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi
and Michael Bradley return along with central defender Matt Besler.
Klinsmann wants to see them guide new faces such as striker Bobby
Wood and full back Greg Garza.
“It’s a process between two World Cup cycles, you push the restart
button. You want the more experienced players to get challenged and
you want the younger players to come out of their shell and break
in,” said Klinsmann, a former Germany coach and World Cup winning
striker.
“But at the same time when you create that competitive environment
and intense training sessions, you also want the experienced players
to take the young ones under their wings.
“You almost want a mentor situation where Clint Dempsey helps Bobby
Wood, we want Jermaine Jones to talk to (midfielder) Mix Diskerud,
and tell him ‘this is what it takes, if you want to break through
big time, you have got to do this’.
“That is my message for the guys who have been on the block for so
long now, that they help that younger generation. The biggest
learning curve the young guys can go through is by getting on the
field and getting minutes.”
Klinsmann has a chance to experiment ahead of next June’s CONCACAF
Gold Cup, the first of four years with summer tournaments.
“This is the period of time to do it," he said. "Then the closer we
get to the Gold Cup, which is a real tournament that hopefully
qualifies us for the Confederations Cup, then you zoom in and it is
clearly about getting the job done.”
[to top of second column] |
Jones, whose combative displays at the World Cup in Brazil were one
of the highlights of U.S.'s run to the last 16, is a player
Klinsmann believes can have a big impact on the new kids.
“Jermaine is a great example because he played many years in the
Champions League, so really at the highest level," he said.
"He went through a lot of up and downs in his career, he went
through a lot of arguments, changes, I don’t know how many coaches.
"This is stuff we want him to communicate to the younger generation.
How to deal with that, to adjust yourself to whatever is happening
in a club environment."
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Ian Ransom)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
