A draw in Thursday’s Group G match between the US and Germany would guarantee that both teams advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup. If one team wins and the other loses, the losing team would have to worry about the outcome of the Ghana-Portugal game to know whether they would advance.
Even though both teams would guarantee themselves advancement with a draw, and they could agree before the match to not score so they end up tying, US coach Jurgen Klinsmann says he would not agree to such a deal.
Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel reports that Klinsmann said after the draw with Portugal that he would not agree to tie Germany even if it were offered. His reason is that it would not fit the team’s personality or legacy.
[Also see: US World Cup scenarios to advance to knockout stage, tiebreaker explanation]
Is that the proper attitude from Klinsmann or is it stupid?
In one sense, it would probably be the smart thing to do because it would guarantee advancement. But what if an agreement were reached and someone breached it? What would happen then? I’ve always felt that you’re supposed to try your hardest and best to win a game no matter the scenario, so I side with Klinsmann on this one. I’m glad he has that attitude, even if we don’t advance.
