(CNN) -- When the players line up on the field for the crucial U.S.-Germany match on Thursday, fans may see Jurgen Klinsmann's lips moving during both countries' national anthems. Klinsmann coached the German national team in the 2006 World Cup. Eight years later, he's coaching Team USA. In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup, Klinsmann rubbed American soccer fans the wrong way with his frank early assessment that the team wasn't ready to win the championship. He irked others when he brought on five German-born players while dropping Landon Donovan, Team U.S.A.'s all-time highest scorer. But the team's successes under Klinsmann this year have silenced the grumbling, as they have fought their way through initial play in Group G against competitors with a reputation for being so tough that it has been nicknamed the "Group of Death."
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In the game against Germany, the U.S. coach may sing both national anthems
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He is more than a soccer star in Germany -- practically a national hero
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He is known as a great team builder and motivator
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But tactic and technique could be a weakness, and he has had some coaching failures
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Though he did not lead the team to the top prize -- they came in third -- something even more wonderful happened: @placeholder shed a layer of its dark historic burden.
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His candor about @placeholder's readiness served to downplay expectations.
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And he has left some vulnerabilities in @placeholder team's lineup, when he had better alternatives at hand, Doyle said.
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The @placeholder press has reported that he will sing along with them.
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"Coach Jurgen Klinsmann obviously sings every national anthem," wrote one @placeholder news website.
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And he has changed the narrative of the @placeholder team: