Jürgen Klinsmann is one of the most respected coaches in world football. His coaching career on the international stage has seen him take charge of the German National team and currently the US National Team.
His tenure at the top of the US national team has brought about managerial stability and massive development of the sport in the nation. His team did well in two other tournaments, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Confederations Cup. The country proved it can compete on the top level with football giants such as Portugal, Brazil and England.
Currently, the focus of the national team lies with the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Klinsmann is keen to take Rio by storm at the greatest sports spectacle. Currently, the Major League Soccer championship is in recess, presenting the opportunity for the national team to train and blend.
As such, Jürgen Klinsmann has named 23 talented footballers in the country to attend a winter training camp. Furthermore, it was revealed the team would play friendlies against neighboring Canada and Iceland. A closer look at the call-up list reveals a few new faces as well as seasoned and experienced veterans. Such a blend of youth and experience can only blend for the team.
Among the players to earn their first call-up to national team duty include Tony Tchani and Ethan Finlay, who play for Columbus Crew SC. The duo impressed last season and are also joined by shot stopper Luis Robles of the New York Red Bulls. The familiar faces in the team include team captain Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Mix Diskerud, Jozy Altidore and Matt Bessler.
Klinsmann expressed his optimism that the camp would help develop the mental and physical preparedness for the tournament. He felt it was important to start preparations early and give players ample time to adjust to national team responsibilities. Jürgen challenged the newcomers to step up their game to cope with the demands of international football. Experts say about eleven young players in the team had yet to be capped at international level.
At the moment, the coach is in no position to select the starting team for the friendlies on Jan 31st and Feb 5th respectively. The training camp will provide an assessment of player fitness conditions. An alternative list of five players has also been placed on standby. These veterans include Brek Shea, Clint Dempsey, Kyle Beckerman and Brad Evans.
The forthcoming friendlies will also give the team some much-needed experience before facing heavy hitting Colombia in a qualification clash in March. The World Cup Qualification round commences in the said month hence the need to start preparations early. Enthusiasm is high in the camp as the players strive to impress the technical bench. The luckiest players who make an impact will be guaranteed a place in the 2018 World Cup contingent.
Despite accusations of experimentation from other quarters, Klinsmann possesses the experience and technical qualities to pull a surprise. Betting on soccer will always attract soccer enthusiasts. Opponents and pundits will be keenly watching. They are likely to attract great odds on Olympic betting platforms.