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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As much fun as the recent wins over Germany and the Netherlands were\u2014and fun, lest we forget, remains a small part of the reason we watch and play the game\u2014it\u2019s almost impossible to reflect on the spectacle that was a pair of come-from-behind victories, six goals, Michael Bradley and Bobby Wood and not wonder whether the past week was an outlier or harbinger for the U.S. national team.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Any attempt to evaluate friendlies is fraught with caveats and exceptions. Players are missing, coaches are experimenting and 100% effort isn\u2019t guaranteed.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Did the Dutch disappear in the final 20 minutes of their 4-3 loss to the U.S. because the Americans were superior, or because the hosts simply lost cohesion and interest?\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger told reporters following Wednesday's 2-1 defeat, \u201CI believe that if we had been up for it and on a normal fitness level, we'd have won the match today.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u200B\u200BSchweinsteiger and his teammates were a few days removed from a long club campaign and faced with next to nothing at stake, save preparation for a Euro 2016 qualifier against tiny Gibraltar.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Who\u2019s to say the world champions couldn\u2019t have found another gear or two? (They almost did\u2014Sami Khedira hit the crossbar in stoppage time.)\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Then again, look who was on the field for last year\u2019s World Cup gold and bronze medalists, from Robin van Persie and Memphis Depay to Mesut \u00D6zil and Mario G\u00F6tze. The Netherlands and Germany are deep, experienced and consistently contending, and in many ways represent everything Jurgen Klinsmann is trying to build in the U.S. The coach's progress was in question as recently as March, when late breakdowns, a sluggish attack and a lack of any obvious or steady tactical identity left many wondering where this \u201Cyear of transition\u201D was leading.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The U.S. was 2-6-4 between the World Cup win over Ghana and April\u2019s \u201Cdos-a-cero\u201D defeat of Mexico in San Antonio.\r\n\r\n\r\n\t&lt;strong&gt;PODCAST: USMNT's&amp;nbsp;Eurotrip&amp;nbsp;conquests, USWNT&amp;nbsp;in the World Cup&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Klinsmann always pointed to next month\u2019s CONCACAF Gold Cup as the destination. Then, as it seemed to approach too quickly, his team went out and shocked the Dutch and Germans, and did so deservedly. There was a shaky opening in both games and some obvious problems in defense. But the U.S. improved over time, attacked with confidence and finished off scoring chances with confidence and aplomb. The six goals came without the unavailable Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore\u2014by far the program\u2019s active leading scorers\u2014on the field.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But was it a fluke, or was it a timely manifestation of Klinsmann\u2019s long-term plan? The answer, of course, surely is somewhere in the middle. These were mere exhibitions, albeit against talented teams. But they were won in a manner that bodes well for the U.S. There were a couple trends, whether planned or organic, that should leave supporters feeling optimistic.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One is the emergence of Bradley as a box-to-box, playmaking force. The 27-year-old was dominant for significant stretches in both games, and after tearing through Holland in the second half last week, he helped set up both goals against Germany. The first came on a perfectly-placed, lofted ball to Mix Diskerud (who finished beautifully) and the second on a dribble and pass to Brad Evans, who then found Wood for the game-winner. Bradley can carve you open with the long ball or do it on the run.\r\n\r\n\r\n\t&lt;strong&gt;WATCH: Bradley sets up Diskerud | Wood scores winner vs. Germany&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Klinsmann wasn\u2019t wrong about Bradley\u2019s ability to orchestrate an attack. It simply may have been the timing and structure that were a bit off. The manager\u2019s decision to change Bradley\u2019s role so profoundly on the eve of the 2014 World Cup was hard on both the player and the rest of the team. Bradley wasn\u2019t entirely accustomed to the position, and the lack of consistent wide support, plus Jermaine Jones\u2019 box-to-box role, left him crowded or with too much to do. He wasn\u2019t at his best in Brazil.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Things have changed over the past year. Bradley has grown into the role, both with the U.S. and at Toronto FC, where he\u2019s the day-to-day fulcrum and leader of his team. That matters. Although Klinsmann seemed reluctant to bless Bradley\u2019s MLS transfer, the coach\u2019s wish to see Bradley play a primary rather than complementary role is more likely to be fulfilled if he\u2019s doing it year-round. Pressure becomes commonplace. The understanding of how to influence or change the course of a game across the entire field becomes more engrained. The vision and touch required to jumpstart the attack becomes more natural.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In turn, Klinsmann helped Bradley this week by deploying a stay-at-home defensive midfielder (the U.S. was especially effective once Kyle Beckerman entered the Germany match) and reliable outlets on the flanks. Bradley did well against the Dutch with Alfredo Morales in a supporting central role and on his own in a 4-4-2 with Gyasi Zardes and Mix Diskerud out wide. With multiple, more predictable outlets, Bradley was in a better position to succeed.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And it all came together in Amsterdam and Cologne.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CHe just took it to another level,\u201D Klinsmann said of Bradley. \u201CPeople were just thinking, \u2018Holy moly, this guy is unstoppable.\u2019 He\u2019s just taking it to Germany and he\u2019s kind of giving the team so much energy and so much belief that you can actually make a surprise happen, and we kind of made two surprises happen with in a couple of days.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another positive development that\u2019s likely no accident is the emergence of younger, untested talent that had the temperament for the international game, if not the comfort. Klinsmann clearly believes the latter can be developed. He launched his overhaul of Germany in 2004 by looking for dynamic, confident but unproven players. The 23-man team that won bronze at the 2006 World Cup featured eight players aged 22 or younger.&amp;nbsp;Germany\u2019s 2002 team had two. \r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Not every young international becomes a veteran one, of course. But Klinsmann\u2019s history suggests he wants players with the athleticism and confidence to put an opponent on the back foot, and that he believes he can influence and groom those players within a national team set-up.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Zardes\u2019s performances against Holland and Germany were much-improved over his March displays against Denmark and Switzerland. He was almost always involved and frequently a threat. DeAndre Yedlin, after a slow half-season at Tottenham, continued to show flashes of his potential as a game-breaking winger, and Wood\u2019s contributions were stunning and spectacular. His finish in Cologne was world class.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Center back John Brooks had a much better game against Germany than he did in Amsterdam, suggesting a quick learning curve. Aron J\u00F3hannsson, now with only 11 caps, showed off some nice skill and an ability to read the play and combine with teammates.\r\n\r\n\r\n\t&lt;strong&gt;WATCH: Zardes scores first international goal&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Young internationals will stumble (see Julian Green), but it looks like Klinsmann has an eye for those who will get back up and contribute. And with youth comes speed and brashness. The U.S. was outpossessed badly by both the Netherlands (62%-38%) and Germany (64%-36%). But it hardly mattered, since the Americans were more efficient and threatening with the ball.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CThe biggest thing that we take away \u2026 is the mental side of it. That we actually start to lose fear or having just too much respect for big names because of who they are and what they did in the past,\u201D Klinsmann said. \u201CWe had too much for respect for Germany in Recife in the World Cup, and we had too much respect, probably, for most of the time during the game against Belgium, and we need to lose that respect in a way that we kind of give them eye-to-eye confrontation and make it an aggressive battle.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are concerns, naturally. Players like Dempsey, Altidore and Alejandro Bedoya remain vital to the national team\u2019s prospects and identity. The defense remains in disarray\u2014no preferred back four has emerged\u2014and Klinsmann will have to make do at the Gold Cup without Jones and Geoff Cameron. World Cup starters Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez have earned a combined three caps in 2015. We likely haven\u2019t seen Klinsmann\u2019s genuine first-choice 11, which means championship-winning chemistry is going to have to be established relatively quickly. The U.S. will meet Guatemala in a July 3 friendly before kicking off the tournament four days later against Honduras.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So many quotes that came out of the U.S. camp during the past few days revolved around confidence, and how the two wins will give the U.S. loads of it heading into the Gold Cup. But it shouldn\u2019t need that boost. The Americans already are the kings of CONCACAF. They breezed through the 2013 tournament and have won three of the past five overall. They finished first in each of the past two Hexagonals and haven\u2019t lost to Mexico in nearly four years. The U.S. should expect to win the Gold Cup.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Instead, the additional confidence should be focused internally. There, many players still wonder about Klinsmann\u2019s unconventional methods\u2014about whether there\u2019s a point to the nutrition and martial arts classes or the constant tactical tinkering. And Klinsmann has expressed his reservations about whether his players\u2019 career choices or the relative lack of day-to-day pressure faced at the club level are suitable for a national team with top-10 ambition.\r\n\r\n\r\n\t&lt;strong&gt;MORE: USA unveils 35-man provisional Gold Cup roster&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If the wins over the Dutch and Germans have any long-term impact, beyond the memories and the highlights, it will be inside the locker room. There, more faith in the process, more trust in each other and a shared sense of a clearly defined mission and trajectory very well may do wonders for the U.S. If that happens, than it doesn\u2019t really matter whether 4-3 and 2-1 were flukes.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Said goalkeeper Brad Guzan, \u201CThese two games, we were able to use in terms of confidence, in terms of our belief, in terms of our team spirit, it\u2019s good to be able to get two huge, huge results.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;h3 class=\"p1\"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;GALLERY: U.S. Soccer in 2015&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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