For a time, the European continental championship was the hardest national team competition in the world to win. Simply because there's a greater concentration of strong countries in Europe than any other continent. And until the upcoming edition in France this summer, a mere 16 teams qualified, meaning the field was absolutely stacked.
With a field of 24, things still won't be a whole lot easier this time around. Tellingly, the Netherlands, who had placed third at the World Cup just a year earlier, failed to qualify at all. There will be footballing fireworks. Perhaps the greatest concern for the host French: keeping terrorism at bay during their month in the soccer spotlight.
Jurgen Klinsmann
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The German is still the head coach of the U.S. men's national team, not to mention the federation's technical director. If 2013 and 2014 were strong years for him, 2015 was something of a disaster. The patience with his project has worn thin among many. And while he seems to retain the confidence of U.S. Soccer, another challenging year could test the faith put in him and his methods.
With the Copa Centenario and more qualifiers in the offing, this year could be make or break for the Klinsmann Era.
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