Jurgen Klinsmann wanted to make sure he was clear when he reiterated that the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) cannot win the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

According to ESPN, Klinsmann addressed the media after he and his team arrived in Brazil. He told reporters his team will not be overmatched, but that it would not be realistic to expect the Americans to hoist the tournament trophy.

"You have to be realistic. Every year we are getting stronger," Klinsmann said. "We don't look at ourselves as underdogs. We are not. We are going to take the game to Ghana and they will take it to us and it will be an exciting game and then we go from there."

The German-born USMNT coach told the New York Times Magazine in Dec. he did not think his squad could win the tournament. His comments were not off-base, especially since the U.S. found itself in a group with Portugal, Germany and Ghana.

"For us now talking about winning a World Cup, it is just not realistic," he said. "If it is American or not, you can correct me."

The USMNT will open their World Cup schedule playing Ghana Monday at six p.m. Klinsmann has also raised eyebrows by leaving certain veterans off his team's final roster, such as Landon Donovan. Many experts believe Klinsmann is trying to get some of his younger, more talented players some international exposure.

"It's a team full of individual talent, with players that can hurt you in a split second if you're not awake," Klinsmann told reporters. "That's good that way. I think for us it's a great opportunity to start the tournament with. Obviously we have been training for a month, so we are really focused."

USMNT defenseman Geoff Cameron disagrees with his coach's assertion, even though Klinsmann is keeping his team's expectations in check.

"Let the doubters doubt. That's why Americans are Americans," Cameron told reporters. "We like to be the underdogs and challenge big things.

"The sky is the limit for us," he said. "Things happen. Miracles happen. This team might not be as talented as Spain, as Brazil but they can make it farther than people thought. All 23 guys believe the same thing. We can turn heads."

Michael Bradley, a USMNT veteran, did not directly address Klinsmann's comments, but echoed some of Cameron's sentiments.

"It's up to each person to take what they want from that," Bradley told reporters. "I look at it all pretty simply. Every team starts on zero points. Every team has three games to show they can get out of the group. If you are able to pass, then it is knockout games. We have seen time and time again over 90 minutes, anything can happen. Our first goal is now taking care of business. We expect to be in a position where we can get out of this group and then we take it one game at a time. More than that? Does it make sense to think about it in any way other than that?"