Jurgen Klinsmann came to U.S. U-23 coach Caleb Porter's defense after Porter failed to guide the USA to the Olympics.

“Overall, the way Caleb developed the program in these just couple of months was outstanding,” Klinsmann said. “He’s done an outstanding job. How he put his thoughts and ideas into these guys. There’s a bright future ahead of him in his coaching career.

“You saw that tonight [3-3 vs. El Salvador], you saw it against Cuba [6-0 win], you saw it against Mexico [2-0 friendly win], and it’s important for us to see that we’re on the right path in terms of style of play.”

All that said, writes Ives Galarcep, Porter is also young and inexperienced. Having a tournament as important as the Olympic qualifying tournament be his first major international event, might have been a step too far. As much as he did to teach a new approach and a new system, his lineup decisions and in-game management were fraught with question marks and cringe-worthy mistakes.

According to Steve Davis at ProSoccerTalk, Porter's contract expires on April 30. That was the date set if the USA failed to qualify. Porter is expected to meet soon with U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati and U.S. Soccer secretary general Dan Flynn as part of a normal review.