BARCELONA, SPAIN July 7 (DPI) – A small sampling of futbol fans here see the U.S. as a rising competitor in the FIFA World Cup, based on the team’s much improved play and the effectiveness of their German coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, who is under contract to lead the team through 2022.

In late June the U.S. advanced to the elimination round of the World after defeating Ghana, tying Portugal and losing to heavy favorite Germany by a single goal. Few expected the U.S. team to advance from the so-called “Group of Death” since all four teams were regarded as good enough to compete far into the tournament.

Klinsmann, coaching the US for the first time after coaching the German national team, used a very effective strategy to neutralize Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players in the world.  It was a desperate Ronaldo pass that led to a tying score in the final seconds,  averting what would have been a disastrous loss to the US.  Klinsmann also used an effective defensive strategy against Germany, which needed a second-half goal from Thomas Muller to clinch a win.

Klinsmann signed a contract that pays him $2.6 million annually through 2022, four times more than his predecessor, longtime coach Bob Bradley. But that only put Klinsmann in the middle salary range of World Cup coaches; Russia’s coach, the Italian Fabio Capello, is paid more than $11 million per year. The Russians did not advance out of their group to the elimination round.

U.S. prospects in future World Cups are good. There is a core of emerging young players, including 19-year-old Julian Green, who played only a few minutes of this year’s World Cup but scored the team’s final goal, against Belgium.

European futball fans cite the U.S.’s large population (330 million), vast financial resources and growing national interest in the World Cup – if not the sport itself – as primary reasons for the US potential in the FIFA-sponsored event.  Fans point out that nations as small as Costa Rica (4.8 million) and Uruguay (3.4 million) field competitive teams; this year Costa Rica advanced to the Final 8, and Uruguay has won two World Cup titles. The 2014 World Cup, held in Brazil, has been exceptionally well played with several good matches, all burnishing the reputation of the event as one of the great sporting spectacles in the world.

WORLD CUP NOTES: Germany, after shellacking Brazil 7-1 on Tuesday, is heavily favored to prevail over Argentina in the final this Sunday. It is the first time that a European nation is favored to win a World Cup taking place in North or South America.