SALVADOR, Brazil -- Jurgen Klinsmann believes he will still be in charge of the USA for the next World Cup and hailed "phenomenal" goalkeeper Tim Howard after a 2-1 defeat to Belgium in Tuesday's last 16 clash at Arena Fonte Nova.
The USA lost after extra time as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku scored for Belgium before Julian Green grabbed a goal back to ensure a tense finale.
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Klinsmann hailed his team’s character despite the defeat and believes there is plenty to build on from the USA’s performances during the World Cup ahead of the next tournament in Russia in 2018.
"I think so. Yes, I think so," Klinsmann replied when asked whether he will be head coach in 2018 in his post-match press conference. "We have to move on. There are some young players who are coming through but are not there yet. I think there is a lot to build on going forward.
"It’s a bummer for us to end on the losing side after giving everything to the fans for 120 minutes. It was a real drama, a thriller and we had possibilities to equalize at the end. We are very proud of every player. They made their country proud today and with their performances in the World Cup."
Goalkeeper Tim Howard kept the USA in the game as he made an astonishing 15 saves in the match, the most recorded in a World Cup fixture since 1966.
Klinsmann added: "What Tim did was phenomenal. He kept us in the game for a long time. He had an amazing match.
"We wanted to get back in the game off the back of Tim. We had chances to score at the end of the 90 minutes thanks to Tim. He kept us in there for 120 minutes."