ESPN.com - Olympics a priority for Jurgen Klinsmann http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=7571598&type=story ESPN.com: US National Soccer [Print without images] Monday, February 13, 2012 Olympics a priority for Jurgen Klinsmann This year, few results will be more important to U.S. Soccer than a successful showing at the Olympics. Often perceived as a second-tier tournament, this year’s Olympic cycle means much more to Jurgen Klinsmann is hoping to use the Olympics as a springboard for future national team success. the American cause. After a difficult stretch in 2011 led to a coaching change, the 2012 Olympic team -- which could feature a large number of budding stars from the full-team pool -- is in many ways a barometer by which we can measure the progress of the Jurgen Klinsmann regime, and to some extent the future of American soccer. But with only months until the potential date in England, many questions remain. The team has plenty of potential on paper, but many of its would-be stars simply will not be available for the qualifying tournament in late March, when the U.S. will face a do-or-die semifinal match against a solid team, likely Honduras or Panama, but perhaps even archrival Mexico. That and a late start to preparations -- the first U.S. Olympic camp took place in November -- has some fans worrying that an Olympic triumph isn’t a priority for the American federation. But Klinsmann said that’s not the case. “We want to have a successful Olympic campaign,” the coach said during last month’s camp. “The guys are going to London hopefully, and we want them do well there. They will have a good team, Caleb [Porter] will have a good team, and I will give him as many of my guys as I can.” That final sentiment will be key. In past years, players who feature for the full team haven’t always been called into duty at the age group levels. But Klinsmann sounds prepared to let young stars such as Brek Shea, Juan Agudelo and Jozy Altidore spend much of the summer with the U-23s, even if that means reducing their service to the full team as World Cup qualifiers kick off later this year. 1 of 3 2/14/12 8:21 AM ESPN.com - Olympics a priority for Jurgen Klinsmann http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=7571598&type=story The problem for the U.S. is that many of the U-23 eligible stars, such as Altidore, Timmy Chandler and Danny Williams, are also vital to their European clubs, making them long shots to play roles in the crucial qualifying tournament, which comes on non-FIFA match dates. And with other potentially influential role players such as Joe Gyau and Alfredo Morales now seeing first-team time in the Bundesliga, the list of Americans who probably won’t be available in March continues to grow. But that doesn’t bother Klinsmann. Part of the former German international’s strategy is to develop a long list of potential fill-ins at both the U-23 and full national team levels, and he sees the Olympic camps and the January full national team camp, designed for non-Europe-based players, as chances for younger players to break into the U.S. mix and learn what’s needed to succeed in the international game. “Obviously you have your depth chart, and that’s what I’m looking at,” the coach said. “And you just say who’s next in line, really. And those guys that are in camp, they are next in line, knocking at the door. But the point is that they see what they need to do, what they need to do extra from now on going forward. They can say, ‘OK, I’m part of the extended national team roster, what does it really mean?’ It means that you have to do more than anybody else at your club team. You can’t just go with the flow anymore. You can’t just go out and say ‘OK, I trained like everybody else.’ It’s not enough. You’ve got to be first and last [at training] and do more on the field.” Even with the January full team camp, Klinsmann took a step toward focusing on the Olympics. While U-23 eligible players such as Agudelo, Shea, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson and Teal Bunbury were all with the senior team, the squad trained alongside the Olympic team in Los Angeles and played two scrimmages against Porter’s team. That gave Porter a chance to scope out a larger group of players, while still giving the younger players in line for the full national team a shot to train under Klinsmann. “This is a great opportunity to integrate younger players, to give them a first sense, a first smell of what it means to play for the senior national team,” Klinsmann said. “So that process is really important to us and it’s great for them. I think they sense now right away, ‘OK, this is a different ballgame.’ This is a different level, and we ask a lot more than what they’re usually asked.” From the point of view of a young player, having a legend right there on the training pitch is also an obvious benefit. For young strikers such as Bunbury and C.J. Sapong, Klinsmann’s unique blend of experience and philosophy looks like a good match for getting the most out of their talent. “Right now, these weeks that you can spend with them, there are some other processes that you can throw in,” Klinsmann said. “I told them, ‘If you make mistakes or do something wrong, don’t worry. The only way you can score eventually is going through that moment when you miss a chance. Don’t worry, shake it off.’ And that’s what they need to learn, because it’s always about the next moment; it’s not about what you did previously. It will be a progression for the guys.” But don’t let the sometimes relaxed attitude the German has picked up after a decade in Southern California fool you. Klinsmann demands the utmost from his squad, particularly the young players looking to make the cut. “You’ve got to live like a real pro,” he said. “What does that mean? That’s what we’re doing these three weeks, tell them ‘Hey, you chose that road, it’s 24/7, full commitment.’ It’s not that you switch off after practice and you go home. It’s not. Because even at home it’s about what you eat, when you sleep, how focused you are at your job.” 2 of 3 2/14/12 8:21 AM ESPN.com - Olympics a priority for Jurgen Klinsmann http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=7571598&type=story It’s early in Klinsmann’s tenure, but with the Olympics and World Cup qualifiers approaching things are about to get heated fast. The German hopes the preparation he’s put his young players through over the past month helps win some of the upcoming battles, but he’s under no illusions that qualifying from CONCACAF, for the Olympics or the World Cup will be straightforward. But when asked about Mexico’s explicitly stated 2012 goals, including medaling at the Olympics, Klinsmann said the U.S. isn’t shooting any lower. “Goal-setting is important. They might do it a little different than we do it; I definitely would say we have similar goals to Mexico,” he said. “Now when we go into World Cup qualifiers, it is really down to business. We want to go through the qualification as smoothly as possible -- which won’t be smooth I’m sure -- make a statement there if possible. Make a statement to Mexico, ‘Guys, we’re eye to eye here, we know you had far more success in 2011 than we did but we’ll be there, when we meet again we’ll be there.’” Notes • U.S. Soccer made some waves last week by announcing that its elite youth development academy would move to a 10-month calendar, running from September to June and beginning in the fall. “If we want our players to someday compete against the best in the world, it is critical for their development that they train and play as much as possible and in the right environment,” Klinsmann told U.S. Soccer’s website. The move is controversial in that it virtually eliminates the chance for the nation’s best young soccer players to participate in high school athletics. • After taking on the youth development duties at Toronto, former American U-20 coach Thomas Rongen has wasted no time giving one of his former charges a chance. Defender Kevin Huezo, previously in the youth ranks at Pachuca, has joined the Reds on a preseason trial. 3 of 3 2/14/12 8:21 AM.