Relegate This: USMNT Loss to Ukraine Shows How Klinsmann is Wrong Again About MLS

The more time passes to allow some perspective on U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann's attitude toward MLS, the more offensive his stance becomes -- and the more wrong.

Since taking the job as the national coach, Klinsmann has shown distinct favoritism to anyone playing in Europe and been on a mission to push players into moving up to the most competitive league available.

Playing in MLS was considered subpar, according to Klinsmann, for anyone with aspirations to play for the national team. He has not stopped talking about how important it is to go play in Europe for going on nearly three years now.

But as the United States' loss to Ukraine on Wednesday showed, playing in Europe does not necessarily produce a better national team.

With a line-up made up entirely of Euro players save one, USA had what looked like one of its worst games ever under Klinsmann.

Clint Dempsey, challenged by Klinsmann to move to Tottenham, has fallen out of form since leaving the comfort of Fulham where he was one of England's premier goal scorers.

Jozy Altidore, challenged by Klinsmann to test himself by going to Sunderland, has in short notice totally lost what made him one of the best players in the Dutch league last season.

Brek Shea, who once excelled at FC Dallas, is totally off the radar (despite continued call-ups) and playing in obscurity at Barnsley.

Those are just three examples.

Additionally, many of the European Americans who Klinsmann has overtly courted have still not panned out as billed solely by virtue of playing in Europe.

Thank goodness the likes of Landon Donovan, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Kyle Beckerman, and Graham Zusi -- as well as MLS returnees Michael Bradley, Clarence Goodson, and Dempsey -- are not taking to Klinsmann's urging to leave MLS.

Klinsmann probably never expected that his roster for the World Cup would count so heavily on MLS players or that those guys would be playing better than their European-based counterparts.

How ironic it's ended up that way.

Take note from former European star Thierry Henry, who recently said, "People in Europe have the view that MLS is an easy league, that you can come here and score goals and it's going to be easy. I keep telling them, 'It's not that easy.'"

MLS is a solid league for the development of the national team, and it is not always in the player's best interest to leave just because the coach thinks so.

Relegate that, America.