Two German bosses will be on the sidelines when the USA face Jamaica in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup this week. Jürgen Klinsmann and Winfried Schäfer are both hoping to guide their men into the final. The USA, under Klinsmann, beat Cuba 6-0 in the quarters whereas Schäfer’s Jamaica side beat Haiti 1-0 to reach the final four for the first time since 1998.
Wednesday’s game takes place in Atlanta and it is the hosts who go into it as favourites. “We want to be prepared for every eventuality,” explained Klinsmann, who didn’t want to over emphasise their comfortable victory in the last eight.
USA lethal in front of goal
The USA dominated the game from whistle to whistle and had gave themselves a comfortable half time advantage, which pleased Klinsmann. The head coach was delighted with how clinical his side were in front of goal, having inspired them with a personal anecdote.
"I played the UAE at the 1990 World Cup and didn’t really take the opposition as seriously as I should have done,” explained Die Mannschaft’s former boss. “I scored once but really should have had five. It shouldn’t have been like that.”
Klinsmann’s words clearly resonated with his troops as goals from Gyasi Zardes (13’), Aron Johannsson (31’) and Omar Gonzales (44’) as well as a treble from Clint Dempsey (3’, 63’ and 76’) meant they won the game with ease. The 32-year-old attacker now has six goals for the tournament and tops the scoring charts. The former Fulham star will be hoping to play an important role again in the semis.
Jamaica reach the last four with “German virtues”
Schäfer’s Jamaica side await the USA in the last four. The 65-year-old has instilled German professionalism into his players – team spirit, hard work and discipline have been emphasised – and these virtues were clear to see against Haiti. Former Derby County star Giles Barnes put them in front after just seven minutes and they managed to close the game out in an expert manner.
Two German bosses will be on the sidelines when the USA face Jamaica in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup this week. Jürgen Klinsmann and Winfried Schäfer are both hoping to guide their men into the final. The USA, under Klinsmann, beat Cuba 6-0 in the quarters whereas Schäfer’s Jamaica side beat Haiti 1-0 to reach the final four for the first time since 1998.
Wednesday’s game takes place in Atlanta and it is the hosts who go into it as favourites. “We want to be prepared for every eventuality,” explained Klinsmann, who didn’t want to over emphasise their comfortable victory in the last eight.
USA lethal in front of goal
The USA dominated the game from whistle to whistle and had gave themselves a comfortable half time advantage, which pleased Klinsmann. The head coach was delighted with how clinical his side were in front of goal, having inspired them with a personal anecdote.
"I played the UAE at the 1990 World Cup and didn’t really take the opposition as seriously as I should have done,” explained Die Mannschaft’s former boss. “I scored once but really should have had five. It shouldn’t have been like that.”
Klinsmann’s words clearly resonated with his troops as goals from Gyasi Zardes (13’), Aron Johannsson (31’) and Omar Gonzales (44’) as well as a treble from Clint Dempsey (3’, 63’ and 76’) meant they won the game with ease. The 32-year-old attacker now has six goals for the tournament and tops the scoring charts. The former Fulham star will be hoping to play an important role again in the semis.
Jamaica reach the last four with “German virtues”
Schäfer’s Jamaica side await the USA in the last four. The 65-year-old has instilled German professionalism into his players – team spirit, hard work and discipline have been emphasised – and these virtues were clear to see against Haiti. Former Derby County star Giles Barnes put them in front after just seven minutes and they managed to close the game out in an expert manner.
"I’m proud of the lads,” said Schäfer, who used to coach Karlsruher SC and VfB Stuttgart. “Everyone pushed themselves to the limit.” He remains hopeful of reaching the final even though “it will be difficult and we’re the outsiders.”
