Tonight marks the official Ascension of Jurgen Klinsmann to the helm of a U.S. Men's National Team struggling to find itself.
At 9 p.m. (ESPN News until the Little League game ends on ESPN2), the #USMNT faces Intracontinental Rival Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, in a match that's technically a "friendly" but if you watch, you'll hear countless manifestations of the "They call this a friendly but There's No Love Lost Between These Two! It's UNFRIENDLY out there!!!" hook.
It'll be interesting to see how the side comes out against a foe which essentially trounced it just six weeks ago. Klinsmann's only been the boss for 12 days, so don't expect too much of a difference. Well, besides this. We probably won't even see one animal sacrificed. Which sucks.
Interesting aside: This marks Michael Bradley's first match without daddy Bob setting the lineup.
"In soccer, in life you learn along the way to deal with things that are difficult," Michael, 24, told the media Tuesday. "You learn to deal with things that don't go your way or that are difficult to people close to you. This is no different. It's part of the game."
Gold Cup Final 2011- Mexico vs USA 4-2 Full goals- HD [YouTube]
USA vs. Mexico: A Conflict of Interest? [Forbes]
Former US coach Arena stresses patience for Klinsmann [MLS]
Although early, Klinsmann showing ability to inspire [Sporting News]