Lineup changes pay off for Klinsmann 
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was a high-risk, high-reward gamble for U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Four days after the Americans lost to Jamaica 2-1 in Kingston, Klinsmann changed almost half his staring lineup by returning Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo to the back line, and inserting Jose Torres, Danny Williams and Graham Zusi into the midfield.
The bet paid off -- barely.
While the Yanks dominated the visitors from the opening whistle by controlling possession and sending 13 shots towards Dwayne Miller's goal, only Herculez Gomez's 55th-minute free kick found the net, resulting in a tense finale at Columbus Crew Stadium.
Still, a win is a win in World Cup qualifying, and there's no doubt Klinsmann's tweaks made the difference.
To read about the importance of this win for the USMNT, plus to get access to all of Insider's soccer content, you must be an ESPN Insider.
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Doug McIntyre
Doug McIntyre has watched or attended almost every U.S. national team game since Paul Caligiuri's "shot heard 'round the world" in 1989. He is a staff writer for ESPN The Magazine and has covered American and international soccer since 2002.
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