Many USMNT fans were not satisfied with the team in the March international break, where they faced Belgium and Portugal.
The USMNT lost 5-2 to Belgium and 2-0 to Portugal last week. The USMNT will play two more friendly matches before the start of the 2026 World Cup, against Senegal on May 31 and against Germany on June 6.
While the losses against Belgium and Portugal were concerning to many fans, the former USMNT head coach Jürgen Klinsmann hopes the players don't dwell on the losses ahead of the World Cup.
Klinsmann coached the USMNT in the 2014 World Cup, where they drew 2-2 with Portugal in the group stage and lost 2-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16.
Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
In an interview with ESPN, Klinsmann highlighted how important it was for the USMNT to play against tough opponents before the World Cup.
Klinsmann said, "With just two months away from the World Cup, obviously it’s really important to play the biggest teams possible."
Jürgen Klinsmann on USMNT's losses against Belgium and Portugal
Jürgen Klinsmann was asked about the two poor results for the USMNT last week and acknowledged the difficulty of the opponents, which led to the results.
Klinsmann said, "It’s very, very difficult to play those teams. And when you play those teams, you want to get the most out of it. There are some lessons, and then you learn out of those lessons, and you move on."
Klinsmann talks about the first half performances in both games, where fans also credited the USMNT for giving Belgium and Portugal something to worry about.
The former USMNT head coach said, "What I hope after these two games is that they’re not getting discouraged, because obviously, you know, performance is one thing, and I think there’s both times that the first halves were okay."
Klinsmann does understand why players wanted a positive result for confidence and said, "But also, if you win games, if you have positive results, that gives your confidence level another boost, and then you go into the World Cup, obviously with wide shoulders and with a lot of courage and confidence. I just hope they’re not getting discouraged now with these two results."
