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Klinsmann hired as USMNT coach

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

It took five years, but U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati has the coach he's wanted all along.

Juergen Klinsmann was hired as coach of the U.S. men's national team on Friday, replacing the ousted Bob Bradley.

"We are excited to have Jürgen as the head coach of our Men's National Team," Gulati said in a press release. "He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program. Jürgen has had success in many different areas of the game and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field."  

Klinsmann, who guided Germany to the FIFA World Cup semifinals in 2006, has been linked with the U.S. coaching job ever since Bruce Arena left the post following that same World Cup. When U.S. Soccer did not want to concede as much power over the national-team structure as Klinsmann wanted, Gulati turned to Bradley.

After the 2010 World Cup cycle, one in which Bradley guided the United States to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup title, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup final, first place in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, first place in its World Cup group and a Round of 16 berth, Gulati again tried to woo Klinsmann to the job, but the two failed to agree on terms yet again.

Bradley was then handed a four-year contract extension but was let go on Thursday after an underwhelming start to the 2014 World Cup cycle, one that included a second-place finish to Mexico in the 2011 Gold Cup with a spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup on the line.

With a rematch against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Philadelphia, it will be Klinsmann manning the sidelines for the U.S. national team. He'll be introduced to the press in New York on Monday.

"I am proud and honored to be named the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Team," said Klinsmann, who most recently had been a consultant for Toronto FC and is the first non-American U.S. national team coach since Bora Milutinovic in 1995. "I would like to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for the opportunity, and I'm excited about the challenge ahead. I am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against Mexico and starting on the road toward qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup."

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What do you think of the hire? Think Klinsmann is the right coach to take U.S. Soccer to the next level?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I wanted Klinnsman after the ’06 flameout. 5 years later, and no serious takers for him around the globe and I’m concerned there’s something there I don’t see. If available, I’d have made a move for Hiddink.

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  2. Don’t kid yourself,…Gulati did this to save his job. He should not have extended BB beyond South Africa and should have hired Klinsmann at that time. We lost a year.

    Furthermore,…he knew about all of the scullduggery going on with Warner, with respect to CONCACAF and FIFA,…AND HE DID NOTHING! He sat idly by and watched.

    Tired of this poser. Time for him to move on.

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  3. “…most recently a consultant to Toronto F.C.”

    Would feel better knowing he might have been “collecting unemployment” and visiting soccer bars all over the country waiting for this call to come in.

    Toronto F.C.? He needs a publicist!

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  4. 58% Winning percentage > than 40% Winning Percentage

    Yes he had better teams.

    Yes he had better competition.

    Yes he has something to offer that the others don’t.

    Don’t let the facts get in the way of your argument.

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  5. I think you, as well as others, are sucking the kook-aid as well. The comment in regards to Nowak is quite true actually. Polish national team captain, Polish player of the year, bundesliga experience as well as being named bundesliga play maker of the year. Add in asst coach to the us national team, coached the us Olympic team, a domestic title with DC and a few years as a head coach with Philly. On paper he has more tenure in coaching than Klinnsmann and frankly one more title. Just a less accomplished player. Taking the “we have a cool foreign coach blinders off” you see it’s a fair argument.

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  6. Kelly,

    I agree that if Gulati did his bait & switch with Klinsi again, which he DID do w/ him after the WC, then this could blow up.

    However, right now, the other prime U-2xs jobs are open as well. Which means if JK can work with Reyna in the youth development (which I think he can), then he can place his people in those positions and have the unified style of play that he put in place with Germany as well.

    I think there’s good potential for success, and I don’t think there was a ‘better’ choice than Klinsmann available for the US side. Most of the other ‘big names’ have little experience with the US talent pool. The one thing Klinsi’s been able to do for most of a decade is watch the game in the States.

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  7. I wasn’t trying to lobby for Nowak. The original poster wrote that he couldn’t think of anybody with European experience and knowledge of the American “system”. I tossed out a few names that leapt to mind – some with more international experience, some with less, some with more American experience, some with less – than Klinsmann. Others leapt on Nowak’s name specifically. I was attempting to point out that while there was a gap between the two, it isn’t as mighty as some are making it out to be. Klinsmann is a better choice, but he is by no means a runaway.

    I agree the man has done well as a player, a great player, more so at present than as a coach, but it is rare indeed when such skill carries over to leading a side. Klinsmann, right now, is batting about 50%: a good run with the German National Team and not so hot with Bayern. He’s had scant time to prove himself, true, meaning the jury is still out on his ability to manage.

    I also understand that few to none with vast international pedigrees are interested in the US job and not knocking down the doors to replace Bradley, so Gulati’s options were severely limited. Klinsmann did show a marked interested in the program. And his drive is going to be sorely tested by not only the team on the field, but the team behind the scenes. The harder job may be trying to implement his grand vision over the USSF, which, as you said, is indeed the million dollar question.

    I hope he succeeds, not only at the full national team, but, as you do, in finding some way to improve the “system” throughout the Fed. He did revamp the Germans, a work which is still reaping rewards. If he can do that for the USSF, it would be wonderful.

    Much of today’s OMG! however, is way over the top and there is no way Klinsmann is going to live up to the unrealistic expectations being flung around like so much confetti.

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  8. What evidence is there that any national team coach failed to name any player to his squad for any reason other than the coach’s perception of the talent and how that player would fit into the team?

    The problem is cash. Until youth teams are no longer run as a you pay to play franchise, many players from poor families will be overlooked by the teams with the parents to pay for travel, coaches, camps, etc. Many coaches have supported some talented but financially poor kids, but their largese has limits no matter how well-intentioned.

    Until the financing issues are resolved by getting MLS teams into player development, little will change. Thankfully, this is beginning to happen and Reyna, Bradley and other national team coaches are among those who pushed in that direction. The development acadamies are a step in the right direction but noone argues that that is enough.

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  9. It will be interesting to see how the handoff between calls BB made for the Mexico game and JK making a new set will be handled.

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