LONDON
Visions of Brazil and Russia hardly spring to mind in the rich, wood-paneled hospitality areas inside Craven Cottage, but U.S. coach Jürgen Klinsmann turned his focus to both locales as he pondered the ramifications of the friendly against Colombia on Friday night.
The memories of the round of 16 defeat to Belgium inform the challenges ahead over the next four years. This meeting with one of the top sides in the world provides a benchmark to gauge the progress made over the past few months and take stock of the work still left to do before the next World Cup.
"We have these games where we have to figure out how to solve these things on the field in a one-match situation," Klinsmann said before his side trained on Thursday afternoon. "Our next, biggest learning curve is once we get out â hopefully â of the group again, how do we then actually advance then in a knockout system? This is our learning curve to learn, in one game at a time, how to go further and further and further to develop that mentality, that mindset to do that. That's why we badly need those games against the best teams that we can find to give us that opportunity to play them. No matter where in the world, we have to go there and play those games."
This date with Colombia certainly falls into the that category despite the absence of Radamel Falcao and the inevitable turnover in the wake of its World Cup success. The absence of several familiar faces and the uncertainty in the defensive third does not reduce the considerable threats posed by Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez, nor does it strip away the collective attacking strength leaned upon to reach the quarterfinals this summer. The core of this swashbuckling side presents exactly the sort of examination Klinsmann seeks.
"You're always excited to play against some of the best players in the world because it gives you an opportunity to test yourself," U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. "Nothing changes for me in that aspect. As a team, it's always a challenge, especially when we know it's going to be a good Colombia team from top to bottom. We know it's going to be an important night. These are the games you want to be a part of. You want to test yourself against the best players, against the best teams. These are the exciting nights you want to be a part of."
It is the sort of evening where experience might prove more useful than promise, at least at the outset. Klinsmann bolstered his youthful ranks with the returning Kyle Beckerman, DaMarcus Beasley and Geoff Cameron ahead of this match date, though Michael Bradley (foot surgery) and Clint Dempsey (playoff commitments with Seattle) will both miss out. He reinforced those selections by choosing Jozy Altidore as captain and naming Guzan as the starter in goal. Their presence -- plus the continued and deserved faith in several other World Cup performers -- allows Klinsmann to rely on a seasoned group at the start and work more inexperienced players into the mix as the match progresses.
The gradual integration of emerging prospects provides some latitude to balance the demands of the match itself with the need to provide ascending players with the desired lessons from it. It also allows this side to lean on the knowledge gained from the tribulations in Brazil as it continues to retool in its wake.
"I would say it's always good to battle against teams with good, good players in their teams," U.S. midfielder Jermaine Jones said. "We know it's a tough game tomorrow. We showed at the World Cup that we can battle with good teams. We will try to make it a good game tomorrow."
Good is one thing, but meaningful is quite another. The opportunity to confront a side like Colombia presents an opening to address lingering concerns (seeing out the final half-hour after chucking away leads in the waning stages and settling for draws against Ecuador and Honduras in October, for instance), challenge the players to push forward and reinforce the lessons required to thrive in the future.
"We are here to beat Colombia," Klinsmann said. "We know it's going to be very difficult, no doubt about it. We know that it's maybe going to be a home game for Colombia with all of the fans here in London. But that's what we need. We need to grow, we need to have those experiences and get out of our comfort zone. I think it's going to be a great test for us."
The instant assessment arrives at the full time, but the complete grade emerges later. It is, after all, not about triumph or failure in a friendly. It is about how the affair ultimately prepares this group for its final examination in four years.
