Honest question...does this still happen if Klinsmann is still the coach through the Hex?
I honestly think Klinsmann would've figured it out. He's a smart coach. He liked to expirement at times, but he would've figured it out.
Arena had a very telling quote after the game tonight. I'm not going to look it up word for word but something along the lines of "If we did qualify for the World Cup, we would've needed to make a lot of changes." He basically admitted he knew this squad wasn't the strongest, but he was afraid to change anything. Which to me is just mind blowing and inexcusable. He was scared. Arena is a joke and the USSF is a joke.
Anyway, back to Klinsmann...he was the perfect coach for the US. Somebody who thinks outside the box and wants to do something creative. US soccer is at this weird stage where they are almost good, but not quite. And they've been at this stage for about 15 years now. They need something different (like Klinsmann) to get them over the hump. Unfortunately, the USSF never accepted him because he spoke the truth about MLS and they got butthurt.
But anyway, I just feel bad for the players. They can't play this game forever, and 4 years is a long long time for an athlete. They deserve better leadership.