United States are a work in progress and should not be expected to be in top form just yet, coach Jurgen Klinsmann said after their nervy opening-game victory over Honduras at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Captain Clint Dempsey was USA's hero in Frisco, Texas on Wednesday, as he struck twice to secure a 2-1 win that puts Klinsmann's side top of Group A.
However, Gold Cup holders USA were unconvincing throughout the clash at the Toyota Stadium, with Carlos Discua's goal for Honduras 21 minutes from time ensuring Klinsmann faced an anxious wait for the final whistle.
But the coach insisted that his team - so impressive in recent friendly wins over Netherlands and Germany - will take time to gel as they bid to win a sixth Gold Cup.
"It was not easy at all tonight - it was a very tight game," Klinsmann said, in quotes reported by The Guardian.
"It's going to be a journey in which we hope we're going to improve from match to match - there will be moments of little struggle.
"Hopefully from game to game we get more in a flow, more in a rhythm."
Next up for USA is Friday's meeting with Haiti at Foxborough's Gillette Stadium.
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