Ideal time for USA to take stock on current plight ahead of friendlies
AARHUS, Denmark --
There is a certain level of commitment required to reach the second largest city in the Denmark. Aarhus is connected to the major cities in Scandinavia by small prop planes and lengthy train rides. It is not particular difficult to get here with the proper amount of diligence and time, but there is a need to rely upon foresight and intent to reach the desired destination.
All of the planning encourages a necessary clarity of purpose. There is plenty to do in a city carved open by a canal and dissected by a busy pedestrian thoroughfare through its core, but it is more important to identify the objective first and foremost.
United States men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann knows exactly why he and his players are here. This is the first stop on a two-match journey through Europe during this international window. They are here for answers and for insight as they continue to build toward the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer.
"You want to see us now really zooming in and starting to prepare for the summer," Klinsmann said before his team went through a training session at NRGi Park on Tuesday evening ahead of a friendly against Denmark on Wednesday. "We want to see some individual answers maybe things that we have in the back of our minds. We want to speed it up a little bit."
The circumstances provide a chance for Klinsmann and his players to accelerate the course naturally. This fixture date removes the constraints imposed by the January camp and permits a more expansive approach to player selection.
Klinsmann took the chance with both hands by including his foreign-based players for the first time this year and using the opportunity to run the rule over his player pool for an extended period of time. The withdrawal of Clint Dempsey with a right hamstring strain on Tuesday dealt those efforts a blow, but the intent of this 22-man gathering remains firmly intact nevertheless.
"It's just great for us to have a lot of faces in the camp," Klinsmann said. "The January camp has its own character because it's mainly MLS-based. Now we have the chance to reconnect with all the European guys and bring in some Mexican-based players."
It is a necessary step given the presence of several fresh faces and several players still searching for their footing at their clubs. This entire trip -- including this two-day stretch in Denmark and the five days in Zurich ahead of the friendly against Switzerland next Tuesday (live, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports Go, 12 p.m. ET) -- presents a chance to take stock of those current plights.
This is the ideal time to gather information and implement the necessary framework for the challenges ahead. The next 10 days offer the chance to assess Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin as they cope with a lack of first-team football, integrate Ventura Alvarado and William Yarbrough into the program for the first time and run the rule over the returning Aron Jóhannsson and other players desperate to increase their stock as the Gold Cup approaches.
"You can sit down, you can discuss things with them," Klinsmann said. "You can talk about their individual situations. You can get a better idea of what they are going through. But also, you can tell them where they stand within the national team program and you can give them clear directions and clear information."
All of the work off the field manifests against Denmark and Switzerland. The two friendlies knit everything together and provide a measure of the group as it continues to evolve.
Both opponents satisfy the standard required to achieve those aims and supply Klinsmann with the information he needs. Denmark is in the midst of recovering from missing out on Brazil last summer and trying to navigate through a Euro 2016 qualifying group including Portugal and Serbia. Switzerland retains many of the core players from the side that reached the Round of 16 last summer as it retools under new coach Vladimir Petkovic.
"I think [it will help us] very much," U.S. defender Fabian Johnson said. "Jurgen always wants to play against big teams, good teams. He's looking for those challenges. These are the next ones. Then we're going to play in June against Germany and Holland. Those are the challenges that we want."
It is why this group embarked on this protracted journey. There are overarching goals looming in the distance, but there is work still ahead to fulfill them. They have found their reason to come to Aarhus. It is now up to them to ensure they figure out a way to make the trip worthwhile.
