Klinsmann faces critics after losses

Hurdler Allen leaves Oregon football to concentrate on track

Looking a bit shocked, Jurgen Klinsmann called it a “bitter moment” four times in 14 minutes and also a “bitter pill to swallow” during his post-match news conference. He described the 4-0 wipeout in a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica as “the defeat that hurts most” during his five-year tenure as U.S. coach. Time for a new leader? Outside the room in San Jose, Costa Rica, U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati expressed patience.

“We don’t make any decisions right after games,” Gulati said. “We’ll think about what happened today and talk with Jurgen and look at the situation.”

The U.S. is 0-2 in the final round of World Cup qualifying for the first time following a 2-1 home loss to Mexico last week and its ninth straight defeat in a qualifier at Costa Rica. Given a rare opportunity to coach a national team for a second World Cup cycle, Klinsmann is under renewed scrutiny by critics who claim his reign has gone stale.

“I obviously understand that when you lose two games and especially two World Cup qualifiers right after each other, that there will be a lot of your comments,” he told reporters after the match. “That is just part of the job.”

Klinsmann coached the U.S to the 2013 Gold Cup title and the second round of the 2014 World Cup, where the Americans lost to Belgium in extra time, but the U.S. was upset by Jamaica in the 2015 Gold Cup semifinals and lost a playoff to Mexico for a Confederations Cup berth, sparking skepticism of personnel decisions and tactics.

Because the top three nations qualify and the No. 4 team advances to a playoff, there is room for error. That won’t quiet fans who have four months to vent before qualifying resumes with a home game against Honduras on March 24.

College football

Olympic hurdler and Oregon wide receiver Devon Allen says he will forgo his remaining eligibility with the Ducks and pursue a professional track career. Allen, a two-time NCAA champion in the 110-meter hurdles who placed fifth in the event at the Rio Olympics this summer, is recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.

A judge has cleared n the way for suspended nose tackle Robert Barber to resume playing football for No. 20 Washington State. Whitman County Superior Judge David Frazier granted Barber’s request for a temporary stay of his suspension from the university for a fight last summer.

Wake Forest says n it has begun an internal investigation after documents related to the team’s game plan for playing No. 3 Louisville were found at the Cardinals’ stadium.

Oklahoma defensive n lineman Charles Walker has chosen to leave the program and enter the NFL draft. Walker has played in only four games this season because of a concussion.

Tennis

Andy Murray survived the longest three-set match in ATP Finals history when he prevailed against Kei Nishikori 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4 in London. They needed 3 hours, 20 minutes, to separate themselves. Murray, 2-0 in his group, can clinch a semifinal berth for the first time in four years with a win over Stan Wawrinka on Friday.