Fans Have Their Say, Loudly, After U.S. Loss Jurgen Klinsmann does not tolerate complacency - in his players, in the news media and even within the United States national team's fan base. He said as much last June, after the United States defeated Antigua & Barbuda, 3-1, in Tampa, Fla. Asked how it felt to win his first meaningful match, a World Cup qualifier, Klinsmann quickly and inexplicably pivoted to a critique of journalists and fans who let the team off the hook any time it loses. "Maybe it's because there's no peer pressure like you have in Europe and South America from you guys" in the media, Klinsmann said. Because it's not such a big deal if you lose a game. If you do that in Europe, you might not want to go to the baker tomorrow morning. We cannot say for certain what kind of reception Klinsmann received over strudel and coffee on Thursday, but if he has spent any time on the Internet since his team's 2-1 loss to Honduras, he has most likely encountered passionate - even outraged - American fans. Impotent, anemic, heartless were among the descriptions thrown around in the wake of the loss. Klinsmann took it especially hard on the U.S. Soccer Federation's Facebook page, usually a friendly digital destination. Prompted to share their thoughts on the match, more than 900 fans had responded as of Friday afternoon, and almost every comment fell somewhere between negative and nasty. Alexander Rekas's "terrible, just terrible" was one of the tamest displays. Ian Anthony put the match in historical perspective: "This was the worst I can recall ever seeing the US team perform . They looked slow, tired, and barely able to keep up. It was an embarrassing display. Another commenter, Sascha Schneider, was not content just to vent. He and many others called for Klinsmann's scalp, fuming, "Klinsmann needs to go and the team needs a real coach." Some of the vitriol is to be expected: Fans are passionate, social media has transformed every fan into an insta-pundit, and the eyeball-hungry Internet rarely rewards subtlety or measured tones. Never mind that losing on the road under harsh conditions to a talented Central American opponent is par for the course in Concacaf World Cup qualifying. And forget for a moment that the region's powerhouse, Mexico, also stuttered to a start in the final-round Hexagonal, playing Jamaica to a scoreless tie at home in the Estadio Azteca. Digitally savvy soccer fans, many of them experiencing the Hex for the first time, are online, opinionated, and vocal. Klinsmann, for his part, took the criticism in stride. "It's totally fine that they voice their opinion when they are unhappy," Klinsmann told the Times on Friday. It's all part of growing the soccer culture in this country. It just shows how much they care, and that's what we want. Oh, they care all right. Just take a look at some of the reader comments on the Goal blog. While certain players are getting dinged online - Geoff Cameron, Timothy Chandler and Omar Gonzalez leap to mind - Klinsmann's critics are by far the most numerous and vocal. An interactive infographic on the Web site I run, American Soccer Now, asks fans to assign blame for the loss. Klinsmann takes the brunt of the criticism for his tactical shortcomings and player selections. On the site's player ratings page, fans gave Klinsmann an aggregate score of 2.6 out of 10-lower than any of his players. While it cannot be pleasant to see your name dragged through the virtual mud, Klinsmann has faced far greater scrutiny in his previous coaching jobs, with the German national team and Bayern Munich. And while he is certainly aware of the fan vitriol, the perpetually sunny Southern California resident did not seem the least bit fazed by the negativity directed at him. "I think it's a huge positive that fans have taken such an interest," he said. When you see a group of U.S. fans in the middle of all those Honduran fans in San Pedro Sula, it's inspiring for the team to know what kind of support they get. We hope that we have that same type of energy and atmosphere at our home games. Corner kick: At the risk of getting a little too meta for our own good, what are your reactions to the fans' reactions? Are they right to place most of the blame with Klinsmann, who didn't play? Share your thoughts in the comments. John Godfrey, a regular contributor to the Goal blog, is the editor of the Web site American Soccer Now. Follow him and @ThisIsASN on Twitter.