THE IRONY of Jürgen Klinsmann having his fingerprints all over the United States men's national team collecting its first championship hardware since 2007 is that he was not the coach of record in the United States' 1-0 victory over Panama yesterday in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.
Klinsmann was suspended after being ejected in the semifinals and had to watch from a club suite at Soldier Field in Chicago.
History will record that USA assistant Andreas Herzog was the coach. But the fact that the United States could go out and beat a tough squad from Panama without Klinsmann prowling the sidelines probably says more about his impact since being named USA a coach 2 years ago today.
USA soccer needed a shake-up in culture. It had become complacent and stale. It seemed resigned to go along with the belief that it didn't have the talent to play an aggressive style.
It took a German coach with the patience of a rattlesnake to remind us that as Americans we've never done that well with being passively aggressive.
Under Klinsmann, Team USA attacks - even against the likes of Brazil, Italy, Germany and Belgium.
Throughout the Gold Cup, when the United States scored one goal, Klinsmann pushed for a second; when he got two, he wanted three, if they scored three then they could score four.
Team USA got at least three goals in four of its six Gold Cup games and held a whopping 20-4 scoring advantage.
Starting with a USA Soccer Centennial Celebration victory in a friendly against Germany, which Klinsmann helped win a World Cup as a player and later went on to coach, the United States is on a historic 11-match winning streak.
During that stretch, which includes three World Cup qualifying matches and the Gold Cup, the national team has outscored its opposition, 35-8.
No matter what people may think of the quality of CONCACAF, it is the confederation from which the USA must qualify for the World Cup. Dominating CONCACAF is always the first step for the United States. It was slippage in the region that led to Klinsmann being hired.
Perhaps nothing has been as important during Klinnsman's tenure than the re-emergence of the American striker.
During the 2010 World Cup, with Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey listed as midfielders, the United States got no goals from its forwards.
In 2011, strikers produced just six goals.
In 2012, with Klinsmann moving Dempsey and Donovan from midfield to forward, USA strikers hit the back of the net 13 times.
Thus far in 2013, the United States has gotten 28 goals from forwards. Strikers got 14 in the Gold Cup.
"Jürgen Ball" has made an impact.