Sunil Gulati needs to be a leader and fire Klinsmann instead of living in his shadow

Jurgen Klinsmann is going down in flames.

The consensus around US Soccer circles is that a decision on the manager’s future with the US Men’s National Team he has led since 2011 will be made sometime this week.

Klinsmann is in deep trouble. Two weeks ago, his team lost to Mexico and Costa Rica in the span of five days – opening the Hexagonal round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying with zero points for the first time ever.

That wasn’t the only ignominy achieved. The US’ loss to Mexico was its first ever in Columbus against its southern rival. The 4-0 loss against the Ticos was the country’s worst shutout loss in qualifying since 1957.

Klinsmann was a central figure in both defeats. Against Mexico, he bizarrely lined the US up in a 3-5-2 that it had never played in a competitive game. It was scraped after 28 minutes after Mexico had scored its first goal ever at MAPFRE Stadium.

The Costa Rica game was arguably US Soccer’s worst performance of the century. The conclusion of every prominent sportswriter covering the team was the obvious. The US needs to change coaches. Now.

Klinsmann’s response? You guessed it: Blame everyone else.

He told The New York Times on Sunday that those fans and journalists calling for his job are “being disrespectful,” and “ignoring the facts.”

“The fact is,” he said, “we lost two games. There is a lot of talk from people who don’t understand soccer or the team.”

In legitimate fear of getting fired for the first time since he took charge of the US, Klinsmann – whose PR machine has always been integral to the making and keeping of his image as a cheerful innovator – is lashing out.

He also had some patronizing words for his boss, embattled US Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “I always made it clear to Sunil, if you really want to move up to the top 15 in the world, you need to have consistency in what you’re doing,” Klinsmann opined. “If you react emotionally, you will become a roller coaster.”

The irony in that statement – considering that Klinsmann’s one true calling card as a manager is his lack of consistency in regard to team selection and tactics – is remarkable.

And the truth is that the US is no closer to becoming a top-15 team in the world than it was when Klinsmann took over in five-and-a-half years ago.

Klinsmann, making three times as much money and wielding three times as much power as any US coach before him, has broken some ground: He has, for the first time in decades, put the US’ World Cup qualification in doubt.

In most countries, Klinsmann would have been fired in 2015 – either after the Gold Cup flameout against Jamaica or the CONCACAF Cup loss against Mexico. Then, he held onto his job. But things have only deteriorated further.

After what we’ve seen this month, Klinsmann’s position has become untenable.

The manager’s many shortcomings have been on display for far longer than two weeks. The loss to Mexico, the meltdown in Costa Rica, and the subsequent delusional press tour have been imminent for a long time.

And Klinsmann would be able to press on – lord knows he has in the past – but this time, he’s lost the team.

The evidence was written into Michael Bradley’s comments after the Mexico loss, it was splashed all over the Costa Rica loss, and, in subtle ways, it’s been manifesting itself for months.

In October, Darlington Nagbe quietly declined to be called up for the team’s friendlies against Cuba and New Zealand. The young midfielder decided he’d rather spend the international break with his family.

Nagbe, mind you, might be the easiest player to manage in the country. He’s quiet, self-effacing, and dedicated. He’s never said a bad word about anyone, and no one has ever said a bad word about him.

And Klinsmann lost him. Nagbe also happens to be one of the most tantalizingly talented players in the national team setup.

At Bayern Munich, it took the players half a year to revolt. But revolt isn’t in the character of the USMNT. This team has always played hard. Regardless of any other circumstance, you could at least count on that.

Save for the John Harkes saga leading into the 1998 World Cup, the modern-era USMNT has never quit on its coach. That’s no longer the case.

John Brooks, subconsciously or not, didn’t show up for the Costa Rica game after being blamed by Klinsmann for Rafa Marquez’s game-winning goal in Columbus. In San José, the sniping between the US players alone was disconcerting.

This must be the end. If Klinsmann’s interview in The New York Times was meant to intimidate his boss Sunil Gulati, it’s a brazenly desperate one. More likely, it’s just the honest take of a coach who has lost touch with the sporting reality surrounding him.

Gulati – who, with the USWNT’s action over equal pay back in the spotlight, is in serious trouble of his own – needs to step out of Klinsmann’s shadow and be a leader.

The time to act is now. The US’ next competitive games aren’t until March, with a January camp the only intervening national team activity.

Bruce Arena, understandably the federation’s number one target should Klinsmann be dismissed, is out of contract. Arena faces a significant rebuilding job with the LA Galaxy, and is reportedly willing to rejoin the national team.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, US Soccer has also been in touch with Sporting Kansas City boss Peter Vermes regarding the national team job in the last year. Whichever route they go – and Arena is the safest and most straightforward option – the clock is ticking.

It is absolutely conceivable that the US could miss the World Cup if they don’t change managers. Klinsmann’s teams have already lost to Jamaica, Panama and Guatemala in this cycle.

Hiring him was worth a shot, but Jurgen Klinsmann is a managerial fraud. He’s been exposed, and his time is up.