Klinsmann's U.S. soccer team takes big step backward

The final whistle blew, and this is all that came to mind trying to sum up Wednesday night and the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the U.S. men's national team:

Colossal failure.

The U.S. men will show up Saturday afternoon at PPL Park in Chester ready to play in the most meaningless of athletic endeavors, a third-place game.

Even if the Americans handle Panama - which can't be blamed at all if it doesn't really want to be here -  this Gold Cup still goes down as the one in which the United States lost in the semifinals on home soil to a country it simply doesn't lose to on home soil.

(Let's pause to acknowledge that the Americans weren't even the most colossal failure. CONCACAF's refs, always a contender, take top prize. When Mexican players are even embarrassed to be awarded a penalty kick, you know a game has gone way off the rails. When we can't relay an explicit headline that appeared in Panama on Thursday morning, you get the depth of outrage. "It almost makes you think about retiring from football," Panama's seen-it-all coach, Hernan Gomez, said afterward. And, by the way, the call at the end of Mexico's quarterfinal was worse.)

Back to our Americans. The thing about the 2-1 loss to Jamaica on Wednesday in Atlanta is that it didn't feel fluky. Yes, the home team easily could have prevailed and moved on. The Americans weren't outplayed but neither did they outplay the Reggae Boyz, who looked solid throughout other than having a goalkeeper who had a little trouble holding on to the ball.

Our national soccer team, supposedly the top dog of the continent - primed to prove it again against Mexico - failed in its big competitive endeavor of the year. The championship game Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field - now featuring Jamaica and Mexico - was set up with the vague idea that the USA would be there. The Americans had gotten to the finals in the last five Gold Cups. And they hadn't lost to a Caribbean team at home since 1969.

So now we're back to wondering what Jurgen Klinsmann really brings to our table as coach. Where are the strides we were told we would see? Where is the next generation of talent that needs to be ready to replace the likes of Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley and until then align with them? Which guy exactly is the next Landon Donovan?

One of the more frustrating aspects of the Jamaica loss is that you can't really pin it on individuals. Did anybody play terribly? No one was abused in the back for any goals during the run of play. The attackers had their chances. It wasn't a miserable overall performance. The failure must go deeper. And you can't sweep aside this Gold Cup as a program-builder. Klinsmann had said before the Gold Cup that the goal wasn't to play for the future. The Americans were playing to win it.

Could Tim Howard have made a difference? Let's not go there since Brad Guzan showed his keeper skills translate to the national team. Plenty of soccer fans looked at the defenders and found them wanting, and wanted some different men on the field. Fair enough. But did that really cause the two Jamaican goals on set pieces? (Answer: maybe.)

This whole thing leaves a lot more questions than answers. Some strong performances in friendlies in Europe can't be ignored, but how much do they mean? Some very smart commentators are asking whether Klinsmann's job deserves to be on the line right now. (Again, no answer, just a question.) Paul Kennedy, editor of Soccer America, as smart and levelheaded as they come, asked: How is Klinsmann's situation different from Bob Bradley's before him? Bradley got to one World Cup, made it to the knockout round, and then was replaced after a Gold Cup the following year when his team at least made the final.

Maybe this question comes only from someone out of touch, but if Klinsmann so badly wanted the phenom Julian Green on his 2014 World Cup squad and in the future mix that he left Landon Donovan off the team, why was Green left off the 2015 Gold Cup squad? A tough season in Germany? OK, fine. (No, we haven't gotten over leaving Donovan off.)

The dynamic play Klinsmann was supposed to usher in occasionally comes, in fits and starts. But Wednesday's loss wasn't even a complete surprise. The Americans had not been dominating this tournament other than an easy walk-through over a baseball-mad country. Take the jerseys off and forget the history. Some think Jamaica, loaded with legit pros, has looked like the best overall Gold Cup team.

The Americans have drifted to low points before under Klinsmann. Last year's round of 16 performance in the World Cup, and the impressive late World Cup qualifiers, put the coach on solid footing, and also showed the man isn't a fool. But if this American team is his vision, then what, four years into Klinsmann's reign, are the rest of us supposed to be seeing?