These next two friendlies, the first real ones of the Jurgen Klinsmann era, will tell us more about the United States under Zee German than the Mexico match did. The game against the bitter rivals showed a group that wanted to play for its new coach, that was excited to play for its new coach, and a manager who had rekindled the flame that was lacking near the end of Senor Bradley’s tenure.

Now, stage two (of many).

And while it’s too early for referendums on players or the coach – decision time will come, people, I promise – the next two matches offer a nice little window into the new world of American soccer.

Here’s a theory: The Costa Rica tilt will tell us more than the Belgium one.Why?

Because the United States needs to beat the Central American side handily. They need to beat all of CONCACAF, with the exception of Mexico, handily. All the time.

No more of these draws in El Salvador, last-minute goals against Costa Rica in Washington D.C., struggles against Panama, and obliterations in Saprissa. The Stars and Stripes are significantly more talented than every squad other than Mexico. They should look it. Knock the ball around the field, dominate possession, control the play, and score.

And yeah, there will be occasional slips where the ball doesn’t go in the net or the bounce doesn’t go right or whatever. That is soccer. But the reality of life is that the US is a better team than its regional competitors. Klinsmann’s first job is to prove that point again.

The match against Belgium will be fun to watch, to see how the coach fills out the lineup card and how his troops respond.

But right now, Costa Rica is what matters. Shore up the listing American in CONCACAF ship, then progress.

by noah