USMNT's current run of form compares favorably to their best times under Bob ...

USMNT's current run of form compares favorably to their best times under Bob Bradley

It seems an awful long time ago, but Bradley started his tenure in equally impressive fashion.

It wasn't all that long ago that the Jurgen Klinsmann era of United States soccer seemed to be a complete bust. Following the 2-1 loss to Honduras on Feb. 6, the U.S. found itself in the unenviable position of opening the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying with a loss for the first time in what we'll call the fully professional era of the men's program (post-1994 World Cup).

The loss itself shouldn't have been the end of the world, but there was a very strong sense that players were beginning to rebel against their German-born coach and that fissures were developing among the players. As the U.S. prepared to take on Costa Rica at home about six weeks later, it was billed as nothing less than a must-win game.

As we all know by now, the U.S. not only won that game, but has since started playing some truly inspired soccer. As they prepare for Wednesday's Gold Cup semifinal against Honduras, the Americans are riding a program-best nine-match winning streak. Among those wins are three World Cup qualifiers that have helped put the Yanks atop the Hex standings and made booking their trip to Brazil in 2014 a mere formality.

Equally impressive is the current 10-game run against CONCACAF opponents in which the United States has gone 9-0-1 and outscored their opponents by the rather jaw-dropping total of 28-4. That the last five of those games have been played with what is essentially a B-list of players would seem to speak well of the depth that has been developed during Klinsmann's 35-match reign over the program.

It all got me wondering how this compares to best days under former coach Bob Bradley, whose tenure as U.S. manager is still hotly debated.

Bradley, as we probably all remember, had his fate sealed after losing 4-2 to Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup final. The thinking at the time seemed to be that Mexico was poised to take over the region and that Bradley was incapable of meeting the challenge. But it's worth pointing out that Bradley's tenure started about as good as anyone could have hoped.

Bradley started off as the interim manager, scoring friendly wins over Denmark, Mexico and Ecuador. He then guided the United States to one of the most memorable Gold Cup wins in history, when they beat Mexico in the 2007 final. At that point, the United States was a very impressive 9-0-1 under Bradley and seemed to be rolling into a new era of continental domination.

Unfortunately, Bradley followed up that huge win by giving most of his starters a break instead of asking them to join the team in the Copa America that started just a few days later. Using a roster of mostly younger MLS-based players, the United States was thoroughly embarrassed in three straight losses by a combined score of 8-2.

Even after two more consecutive losses in a pair of friendlies, the U.S. was able to maintain their impressive run of form against CONCACAF opponents. A 2-2 tie against Mexico in a friendly on Feb. 6, 2008 continued what would eventually become a 15-match unbeaten streak (13-0-2) against CONCACAF countries. In fact, Bradley started 21-2-4 with a 66-18 goal-difference against CONCACAF teams before finishing out his tenure with a disappointing and ultimately fireable record of 8-5-1 in which they outscored regional opponents 21-20.

I bring this up not because I think Klinsmann is getting undo praise, but because it's worth remembering that beating up on CONCACAF countries is not a new phenomena nor something that should be unexpected. When the U.S. plays the likes of El Salvador, they should win by a lopsided score.

We'll probably learn a little more about how much the U.S. has really improved in their next game. Honduras will probably have a pretty decent amount of support at Cowboys Stadium where Mexico-Panama is the featured attraction of the doubleheader. Los Catrachos don't have their A-team, but neither do the Americans. Winning this game would provide a nice bookend to the loss that had so many freaking out back in February.

But make no mistake: the Klinsmann era should not be defined by winning these kinds of games. American coaches should always be making Gold Cup finals and qualifying for the World Cup. Klinsmann can only truly be judged on how he does on the biggest stage against the world's best teams. So far, there's reason to be encouraged. Let's just not get ahead of ourselves.

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