The USMNT’s best World Cup performance arguably came in the inaugural 1930 edition. A third-place finish, despite a crushing 1-6 loss to Argentina in the semifinals, goes one of their only best performances in the prestigious tournament. But then again, there have been some other memorable editions where they stood out even if wasn’t meant for them to lift the Golden trophy. For Jurgen Klinsmann, it’s the 2014 World Cup. Despite receiving a pat on the back from then-POTUS Barack Obama, Klinsmann felt a lingering sense of bitterness.

“Exceptional” is how the German tactician describes the 2014 World Cup. This never-before-heard admission was made on CBS Sports Golazo’s segment of Kickin’ It alongside co-hosts Kate Abdo and former USMNT stars Clint Dempsey and Charlie Davies. Well, actually, it was, considering how then-squad of the Star and Stripes had managed to survive the group stages, only to get knocked out in literally the next round by Belgium.

“That was a moment where I kind of was left a little bit empty in my stomach because I thought we could have beaten them,” admitted Klinsmann, expressing his optimism over the team he built. “I felt like that in America then the reception was like ‘Great job. Very well done. Out of the group of death.’ Everybody was happy. I remember the president called and players responded and said, ‘We should have gone further.’ There came my probably German part through, and I got angry because I said, ‘I want more than that,'” expressed the 60-year-old.

Hearing this story from his mouth was almost as if he was still reliving the moment of coming to terms with their last-16 exit. Of course, it’s understandable Jurgen is still not over it, given their remarkable performance in Group G. Their group was regarded as the ‘Group of Death’ as it included Ghana, Germany, and Portugal. Though many expected the two European teams to advance, only half of that prediction proved true!

How did the Jurgen Klinsmann-led USMNT defy the odds in the 2014 World Cup?

The USMNT can call themselves fortunate to have progressed to the knockout stages. After a close 2-1 win over Ghana, the American team drew 2-2 with Portugal before narrowly losing to Germany. Joachim Low’s side topped Group G with 7 points, while the U.S. finished second. Even though Klinsmann’s side was sharing a tally of 4 points with Portugal, Paulo Bento and Co.’s 4-0 loss to Germany had already wrecked their goal difference.

As the Round of 16 came, they faced Belgium. Despite giving tough competition to Marc Wilmots’ side by holding them off till the 90 minutes, the extra time saw them end the match 2-1. “You go through those experiences, and then came the Round of 16 game with Belgium, which we played a good game against Lukaku and De Bruyne’s of the world, and we could have won,” proudly admitted Klinsmann, expressing his optimism that his side could have gone further.

Sadly, there’s nothing one change about how everything transpired. Perhaps fans may count on the upcoming 2026 edition, which includes a rather new era for the USMNT.