Damarcus Beasley reckons having a World Cup winner as manager has given the United States a new dimension.
German legend Jurgen Klinsmann will lead them into what will be their seventh consecutive appearance at the World Cup Finals in Brazil next year.
But Beasley is confident his country has a great chance of enjoying their most successful World Cup campaign with Klinsmann at the helm.
He says: “He brings a new approach and way of thinking to the national team, and is definitely different from our previous two managers.
“I am not saying these guys are not good coaches, but it is a little bit different.
“With his experience of winning a World Cup as a player and playing in Europe for many years, he’s looking after us.
“His experience of going to a semi-final with Germany as a coach, and bringing that winning mentality to the States, has been working well at the moment.”
Scotland, of course, have not qualified for the World Cup Finals since 1998.
But similar to Scotland’s improvement under Gordon Strachan, Beasley says his country have also made huge strides with Klinsmann.
“I think it comes down to having an idea of how we want to play,” he says.
“Big kudos to Jurgen because we are beginning to understand how he wants us to play and how he wants us to be on the field.
“We needed time to adapt to each other, but it’s gelling at the right time before the World Cup.”
For Beasley, returning to Scotland will bring back fond memories of his time at Ibrox.
“I helped win the Scottish Cup Final for Rangers in 2008 against Queen of the South, which was a special moment,” he recalls.
“That was my first game back after I got injured in a Champions League game against Stuttgart.
“The coach (Walter Smith) had the confidence to start me, we won and I scored. Great memories.
“I follow what’s going on at Rangers week-to-week. I think it’s been a big shock to everybody that has played there.
“But I’m sure in a couple of years they will be back in the top flight and playing in the Champions League.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe