ST. LOUIS – US national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann extended words of sorrow and condolence to the victims of the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris after his team's 6-1 victory over St. Vincent & the Grenadines on Friday night.
What would have otherwise been a festive event at Busch Stadium was clouded by distant tragedy unfolding in the lead-up to kickoff, and the USMNT, their Caribbean opponents and the 43,433 in attendance observed a moment of silence before the match. Afterwards, a subdued Klinsmann opened his postgame press conference with a message to those suffering in France.
“Obviously we are all very well aware of what happened today, and on behalf of US Soccer and the national team, all our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the people in Paris,” he said. “It is a shock to all of us.”
Members of the US squad took to social media after their match to express their sorrow and solidarity towards those affected.
The spate of violence targeted the Beautiful Game along with so many other aspects of Parisian life, as bombs exploded just outside Stade de France during the international soccer friendly between France and Germany, hitting even closer to home for Klinsmann, who coached his native Germany from 2004-06.
After the conclusion of that match, spectators at the Stade de France were allowed to take refuge on the playing field and the Germany team spent the night at the stadium as a precaution.
“I was in touch before the game started with my old staff from the German federation, they played a friendly game today in Paris,” Klinsmann told media in St. Louis. “And as you probably heard, during the game a bomb went off, and they were very well aware of what was going on. It's a huge tragedy and all our thoughts are going out to them in Paris.”
