Photo by Winslow Towson/ USA Today Sports
By RYAN TOLMICH
In the build-up to Saturday’s CONCACAF Cup, U.S. Men’s National Team legend Landon Donovan stated his belief that Jurgen Klinsmann’s job should be in danger with a loss to Mexico.
That result came to fruition Saturday night, as the U.S. surrendered an 118th-minute finish to Paul Aguilar in a 3-2 defeat in extra time at the Rose Bowl. The loss is another in what has been a frustrating year for the U.S., which now misses the 2017 Confederations Cup.
The Confederations Cup berth was one long eyed by Klinsmann, who repeatedly stated his desire to compete in Russia in two years’ time. Now saddled with a defeat, Klinsmann is forced to accept what has been lost while also dealing with the shouts of those who believe there should be radical changes for the U.S.
“I don’t need to say anything to them,” Klinsmann said of his critics. “As I said before, everybody can express his opinion and not everybody likes you. That is totally fine. I’m not here to be liked. I’m trying to do a good job.
“I’m privileged to have that role and represent the U.S. Soccer program. It’s a privilege for me. To do my best to my capabilities sand to leave the judgement out there for (the media) or for people who want to express themselves.”
The loss, Klinsmann’s first to Mexico as either a player or coach, is just the latest and most apparent failure for the U.S. in 2015.
Despite surprise friendly wins against Germany and the Netherlands, the year has largely been a frustrating one for the Americans. The U.S. has now seen dreams slashed at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and in Saturday’s CONCACAF Cup, and its record dips to 9-5-3.
Adding to the frustration was the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team’s loss to Honduras earlier on Saturday, which left the younger Americans on the precipice of missing the 2016 Olympic games.
Still, Klinsmann is looking forward, even with the sadness that comes from such a difficult defeat like the one he and his team suffered on Saturday vs. Mexico.
“I think they showed a lot of characters,” Klinsmann said of his players. “Tremendous effort and went all the way through. They gave everything they had out on the field. When you’re on the losing side it hurts. That’s normal.
“It takes a couple of days to swallow a pill like that. I told the guys to have their heads up because we gave everything we had there. Coming back twice against Mexico and playing openly is impressive, but it was not enough, unfortunately.”
Hyndmann, Zelalem and Gil, et alia.
Grow up fast.
Get in the weight room, build some upper body strength.
Practice T’ai Chi, kung fu, meditation and yoga.
Learn to read the field like Pirlo / Aaron Rodgers.
Learn to ballroom dance, and step some salsa and samba rhythm.
Sorry about your knees and the FIFA asssasssins who took you out, time and time gain, Stewart Holden. Keep workin’ the half, and full Windsor bro.
At first I liked him
He thought US soccer was going places
Then
I realized he thought US soccer was going places because if him
Then
It became annoying
Condescending even
Then
He doesn’t win
And still condescending
Move on JK
move on US soccer
No worries, bros. I’ve got this.
Put me in charge of USSF! You know you want me to run the whole show. And if Landon hadn’t retired, because of JK, we totally would’ve won that game easily. In fact, we’re working hard in the SUM/MLS labs to create another award to name after Landon Donovan, the best player since forever.
We can call him a liar, a charlatan, a megalomaniac, etc…. It’s all a bit strong for me, but it seems clear that he’s not the right coach for the Nats going forward.
The situation is this: we have a limited player pool. We produce decent centerbacks, dmids, and the occasional winger or striker. We do not produce guys that can control the pace of a game. Look around MLS–almost all of the guys pulling the strings in our league are foreign players. And most of those foreigners would be an upgrade on what we have playing for the national team:
Americans who play something approximating this role in MLS and who play A LOT: Bradley, Feilhaber, Nguyen, Klestjan, Rolfe. There are a few more younger guys who still don’t get consistent minutes at the spot: Shipp, Powers, Gil, Diskerud? That’s it. No one on that list is going to change the fundamental weakness of our team.
Now take a look at the foreign guys pulling the strings on MLS teams: RSL’s Morales, Vancouver’s Morales, Higuain, Valeri, Piatti, Diaz, Noguiera (this is leaving out the aging superstar crowd). All of these guys would walk on to our national team and play major minutes right away.
So, we don’t have the horses to out-possess teams right now. That’s too bad, but it is what it is. Our only alternatives are to 1)bunker and hope for something on the counter or on a set piece, or 2)press high and hard and never let the other team pass the ball around comfortably. We’ve always done #1 effectively because we had one of the best counterattackers on the planet in Landon Donovan. Go back and look–he is the fulcrum for so many of our counterattacking goals over the last 15 years. He’s gone, so that leaves #2. It might mean leaving talented but less fit guys home or for sub spells. It might mean ugly soccer for long stretches. But it’s what we have, at least until we have three or four guys who can hold the ball up against top teams. I really don’t like him as a person, but Vermes would probably get the Nats better results right now. It’s not the Barca ball we all long for, but it will be effective against a lot of teams. The best ones will pick apart the holes pressing high will leave, but it gives us a chance.
We are fortunate Jurgen cap tied Julien Green during the World Cup. A talent like him was snatched from under the nose of Germany and now the German program is in shambles. Bold moves like this is why we brought in Klinsmann. His eye for talent is second to none as demonstrated by his selections for Brazil and all events since. Green’s spectacular performance against Mexico would have never happened if he wasn’t cap tied at the expense of other established players at that time.
Of course Klinsmann doesn’t care about his critics. He views himself as a revolutionary with a higher calling than mere “results,” and he has carte blanche from Gulati. Put both of those together and you have the makings of megalomania.
It’s interesting that a coach who once said that qualifying for the Confederations’ Cup would be a major benchmark in the progress under his tenure now says that a loss which prevented his team from qualifying isn’t that important.
Wow…simply wow.
And people continue to support this charlatan?
Hold your horses.
No US coach has a better record than JK in CONCACAF WC qualifying.
1.5 years ago, Mexico’s program was on life support. If not for Graham Zusi’s thunderous header late in the game vs. Panama in the last WC qualifier, Mexico doesn’t go to the WC.
Now, the sky is falling?
Patience.
Good things are coming.
I don’t like playing the “old” card, but I have followed a lot of sports for a long time. I have seen many times where coaches were fired when they should have been, haven’t been fired soon enough, and have been fired when they shouldn’t have been. I’m not going to argue against Klinsmann being fired, but you need to be careful of what you wish for. I could give a lot of examples of all the different types of situations, but let me just give one recent one. I have been a long time fan of the San Diego Padres, almost as frustrating as being a Cubs fan. They had a manager who did much better than the norm for the team, but for some reason never really explained, top management failed to renew his contract after about 5 years. Bruce Bochy went on to win 2 world championships with the SF Giants. The Padres replaced him with a manager named Bud Black and mostly they were a bit under .500 with Black. They also had one of the smallest payrolls in the major leagues. Before this season they went out and paid big money for a lot of good new players. Everyone predicted they would be a contender for the division or, at least, a wild card spot. Before the All Star break they fired Black because the Padres were 32-33. They brought in a young manager who had done real well in Triple A. Surely he would do better with all this better talent than in years past. Well, actually, he did considerably worse than Black. I think a lot of fans here have an inflated opinion about just how good the US players are. The US did better in the last round of qualifying than ever before. Maybe a new hire will do better than Klinsmann did, but it will probably be only marginally better unless some young players suddenly blossom into super stars. Compare the resumes of US players on the national team rosters with other teams in the top 20 in the world. The US isn’t all that great. The reason Ghana beat us twice before in the WC is because they have better quality players. They have some weaknesses, but they also have 3 or 4 players playing for top European teams. While a lot of you pooh-pooh what Klinsmann says about playing in Europe, that’s the opinion of just about every other coach in the world. Look at South America. All their top players go to Europe if and when they can. And both the Argentine and Brazilian leagues are certainly better than MLS. Until more US players are in top 5 European leagues, we will not be noticeably better anytime soon. And any US coach will be limited in what he accomplishes. This doesn’t mean we can’t get good results, but it does mean we can’t consistently get past the Round of 32.
Read the aricle on the back page of the NY Times, Sunday Sports section.
It quotes Bocanegra and more importantly Bruce Arena, liberally.
Basically what Bruce says, is that at the end of the day what Nat team coaches are judged for is WC qualifying and WC performance, nothing else much matters.
Arena says also that in his humble opinion the Confed cup is BS and meaningless, friendlies are meaningless, only thing that matters is the lead up in qualifying, and the actual WC action.
I did not have a live feed Saturday night, and did not get to watch the game until Sunday night when Fox rebroadcast the game. There was a stark contrast to watching the comments on SBI, and the Fox web-site and, reading the doom and gloom comments and then actually watching the action.
1st half was pretty much dead even. 5 SOG a piece, more yellow cards (3) for Mexico (that often goes the other way!), a goal a piece, no corners, and possession 54 – 46 slightly in favor of Mexico.
They played their style, we played our style. Sort of.
2nd half, Mexico won the possession battle overall, and had more corner kicks and more dangerous chances. We were weak and ineffective in our mid-field and possession play.
Here is where you can say Ferretti outcoached Klinsmann and Vogts and all that other nuanced jazz about how our wing backs got pinned down, deep and narrow, and nobody was showing for the ball, or making decoy runs into the box when we had the ball, how everyone seemed out of sync on the attack when we did break out, etc., etc. etc., We looked like the old US – a little confused, hesitant and slow to capitalize on breaks, telegraphing our passes, and making bad passes, amateurish stupid, typical US mistakes. But at the end of the half – it was still 1-1!
First half of OT, overall, Mexico bossed the game, we looked gassed and confused but did not give up.
Second half of OT – we won the possession battle, and looked like we actually came to play – had a little left in the tank, and scored to tie the game. Then we went down very, verry late in the game on a play where JJs reckless tackle and DMBs ill timed interception attempt, cost us the game. We ran out of time.
For my money, Timmie Howard would have stopped that shot from Aguilar.
So I am going to go out on a limb and say that the sky is not falling. It’s just a rainy day. A mixed bag, somewhat of a bad day at the office for the USMNT.
Quoting Arena, “the Confed Cup is meaningless.”
And, I believe, you should get ready for some real juicy WC qualifiers, ’cause we gonna kick some royal CONCACA-a**!
Of course Jk doesn’t care!!! He’s Rick James bitch!!!!
He’s his own boss and all he has has to do is smile at his boy Suni and all those stupid fanboys.
I’m sure it’s mentioned somewhere in the 200 comments above mine, but the game plan last night was a disaster and that’s why JK should go. We let Mexico get about 30-35 yards out before closing down. Despite being my vote for man of the match for the US, Jones isn’t a winger. However, if the other 10 players o. The team put in as much effort as he did, the intentionally water ligged pitch wouldn’t have mattered and we would have won.
True, but in the 4.4.2 with a diamond midfield the role that JJ played is not a “winger.” The idea was to gain width from the outside backs getting forward. I think the bigger problem was that JK wanted our team to sit and counter. IMHO we tried to absorb way to much pressure and would have done better trying to possess the ball (something that JK has promised we will do, but we don’t). Also, for those who forgot or are just too young to remember…under both Bruce & Bob we used the same bunker, counter and hope for set pieces tactical plan.
Coaches come and go. JK has a contract through Russia and then he will go. I am as angry as anyone else that we lost that game, but I have to ask who would have done better? Bob? I don’t think so. Bruce? Maybe? I support the belief that the next coach should be an American, but don’t see an obvious candidate. Who would you replace JK with after Russia? Ives…your thoughts?
Bob and Bruce would have started a real 11 in the Gold Cup and we wouldn’t have even had this playoff game.
Fair enough…who would you have started? I am certainly not a JK apologist, but I am realistic. I am not convinced that we are as far along developing players as we think we should be. I am not sure the players are there.
A real 11? WTF does that mean?
I make these decisions not you.peasant!!!!!!!!!
#FireKlinsmann
As I have been saying for the last year or so, you’d be a fool to go to Russia with Brad Guzan as your keeper. He is not international quality. He might be good enough for a bottom feeder EPL team, but he can’t cut it on the big stage where it counts. He lost us Gold Cup, and he lost us CONCACAF Cup. It is time to get Bill Hamid ready for World Cup Russia. Howard will be too old with dimisnished skills in two years and Guzan hit his peak about two years ago. Loyalty to Guzan will ultimately get Klinsmann fired. Cut him from the team and don’t look back.
Not too often does a post stand out as especiallyy noteworthy, at least not enough for me to call it out. To those of you that passed on reading bottlcaps’ post about Detti Cramer, I think you missed something special.
Bottlcaps, sorry to hear about your loss, but glad you had the experience of knowing him. Thanks for sharing some of it with us.
In any professional sport in the world a coach with JK’s performance would have been gone long ago. The owners being businessmen would understand that ticket sales and therefore profits depend upon success on the playing field. How can anyone justify keeping the US Soccer management and coaching teams in place?
I like Jurgen. He is a very likable guy. If he lived in the neighborhood, he would always be invited to barbecues and the like– because he likes to talk and much of what he says is amusing, if not always in the way he intended.
But I also realize that his likeability has proven a trap for USSF. Sunil and the guys, I would guess, like listening to Jurgen. If they knew anything about soccer management and were not overawed by famous foreigners they would understand that most of what Jurgen says is hot air.
I never thought hiring Jurgen was a good idea and I would argue that anyone experienced in big time soccer would have been leery of him — famous players don’t usually make good coaches and all the vibes from Jurgen’s time at Munich and with the German team were worrisome.
And, most important, neither Gulati nor Jurgen seem to understand what a national team coach does. The primary task is to identify 18-25 players from whom you can craft a winning side and to create tactics and formations that suit them. Unlike club soccer, you can’t focus on acquiring new players. And you can’t expend too much effort on prospects. It’s very much a win now business. Once prospects (think Julian Green) prove themselves somewhere, you can bring them into the team.
I doubt that Gulati is ever going to dump Jurgen and Jurgen is not the sort of guy to quit. He will go to his deathbed sure he was right about everything regardless of indications to the contrary. So we are stuck with them for the foreseeable future.
I suspect that in the US pool, there are players who could make up a decent team, including some players that Jurgen has ignored. And I suspect that the right sort of coach could qualify for the WC and give the US a decent chance to get to the knockout round, while soccer that is not embarrassing. In important games outside CONCACAF, I doubt that the US is likely to be the favorite, but with the right coach, we could at least make a decent showing and with luck steal some victories. With Jurgen, it’s possible we could do about as well but as we are seeing his continued role with the team raises the possibility of major disasters — if only because he has failed to identify players capable of replacing the several 30+ players on the current squad. (Who would have thought that Beasley would still be the starting left back as this point?)
Klinsy is Sunil’s guy. He’s not going anywhere until people start pressuring Gulati. So, direct your attentions at calling for Gulati’s head, and Once he’s feeling the heat, klinsmann is a liability.
I’m here to stay!!!!!!!!!!!
Phil, I’m allergic to caffeine. I played the game and really enjoy the game. I’ve been watching the USA games since the 70s. I’ve seen the progress of this Team throughout the years. What I detest is the current stagnation over the past 5 years. The talent pool is deeper and much better. Most of the guys who played in the 80s came directly from playing college ball. When I hear JK make comments about MLS it pissess me off. That article from Bottlecaps was very interesting and insightful. I know this Country can do better and must do better. The problem is the wrong person is at the helm. This person was gifted this position and did not have the resume to be annointed the Manager of this Country’s Team. There are better Coaches/Managers available to lead this Team. JK’s condescending attitude is unacceptable.
Klinsi and his enabler, Sunil, need to go.
We do. Out to dinner.
At this point my issue is no longer with Klinsmann. It’s with Gulati who placed such high expectations upon him.
How does Mexico totally dominate possession, and especially with their 3 man mid field.
How do our counter attacks advance at the speed of molasses?
How does it take till nearly the end of the game for JK to finally sub in youth and speed to improve our chances to create offense?
How does Jozy and Deuce stand around for massive stretches of the match watching poor G. Zardes (initially played on his wrong side) run up and down the pitch and never making scoring runs for him, ?
How many more chances does Lazy errr Jozy get? Haven’t we seen enough of him yet?
It wasn’t just losing the game!, It was the both the manner of our loss and the factor of how our decline had forced our assignment to play that match!
How do we show up at JK’s stated priority Gold Cup tournament so ineptly prepared to compete?
Are we done mix/match out of position players as a general rule of roster creation?
I feel that by body language and performance, our players are done playing for JK!
I’m tired of the Euro based team pool, as a separate entity from the Domestic based team pool.
I’m tired of little or no cohesion in our lineups between the two pools, and especially the general failures along our back line.
I’m tired of a massively slow and UNcreative midfield.
I’m tired of veteran’s up top who rarely if ever even make runs into the box unless it’s for set pieces.
I’m tired of handing the possession back in the midfield more often than not.
We are now at a course now, where the pools of players need to combine and the players obviously not going to be available in top form for the next WC cycle, just become sub-in’s and emergency replacements.
I’m tired of feeling that our MNT program is regarded as an international joke. It seems to me the housecleaning should start with Sunil.. Finally I’m tired of taking the emotional train ride down the drain after yet another soft, inept performance by our supposed best!
Finally, the fact that Mexico is as far from elite as we are, makes their domination last night all the more frustrating.. They could have won by 3-4 goals.
The usmnt under kilnsman has taken several steps backward he needs to go
How dare you … you bauer !!!! I will lead this team to the World Cup finals!!!!!!
I think with Arena, then Bradley and now Klinsi that there truly is no second acts in US soccer coaching. All three have some very good points but they seem to peter out after a cycle. Lets just hire coaches on a 4 year cycle starting after the Gold Cup and then move on to the next guy.
Too many problems no answers. Same style bunker down. This time no counter attack. No ideas. No movement. No chemistry. Nothing. And yet we almost took Mexico to pks.
I was ready for Bob to be fired for not winning so im not going to be a hypocrite about Klinsmann even though i generally like him. It was a good lineup with no one playing in a position that is not familiar to them. I think he is normally spot on with subs but thought he waited too long to make changes. I hope this was the last game we have to watch Altidore and Dempsey walk around. You get a motivated in form striker in there and what does he do…score goals. Let Dempsey be a super sub at this point. Wood, Morris, Johannson and Keiswetter (sp) are the future lets roster accordingly.
I agree. At this point, an aging Dempsey is going to us less impact on games. Test-out new player, and I especially like Keisewetter on right with his speed and ability to cross.
Deuce looked awful in this game. But everyone seems to have forgotten the Gold Cup where he carried the US. He had 7 goals and won the Golden Boot. Boy, hardly anybody on this site seems to remember anything more than a week old. Also, more and more we see this becoming a fact free zone.
Those goals were against weaker teams. At 33, Dempsey timing and reflexes start slow a lot. Altidore looked far better and more willing than Dempsey.
Donovan carried the Gold Cup 2013, it was Donovan single-handed won it, made bigger impact 2013 than Dempsey with USNT. But that was 2013.
USNT looked outclassed by mexico, yet, Klinsmann being beaucratic and Klinsmann showing no honor resigning from his position.
no honor by not resigning*
Outclassed?Really? We almost won. Beasley needed to dig deeper.
Not far enough on the learning curve, apparently.
“I don’t need to say anything to them,” Klinsmann said of his critics. “As I said before, everybody can express his opinion and not everybody likes you. That is totally fine. I’m not here to be liked. I’m trying to do a good job.”
wow
liked? who cares about that. job performance is the issue, just to be crystal clear Mr. Klinsmann. Job performance. That’s the problem you are living.
trying to do a good job? Is that supposed to be funny, is he sincerely whining like that? that’s the kind of thing my 7 year old says
all the genuflecting to this guy over the years from US soccer…pathetic. His arrogant know-it-all attitude from the start has reeked like raw sewage, now he’s swimming in that stink which he created, and what’s his response? Mr. Tough Guy with the media in his best blow hard tone. What a coward
At least the maturing US soccer culture is learning, albeit the hard way, what a ball of cheese looks like. Playing openly??? WTF is he talking about? Or more importantly, why is US soccer still listening?
Surprised nobody else has caught on to this.
Klinsmann thinks that the criticism is of a personal nature. That we just don’t like him. How can he not see that our opinions reflect criticism of his job performance? Because he SERIOUSLY believes that he is doing a great job. That is why critics just don’t like him. Not because we are uninspired by his product on the field. Not because we were outclassed game after game in the Gold Cup.
It’s because we just don’t like him.
What I really, really want to know is this: who made the question? Was it a member of the American media? If so then good for them, it’s about time they start questioning his bs.
Do you read the American media at all? Seriously…. even a tiny bit? If you have trouble finding people criticizing JK in the American soccer press – from the NY Times to Grant Wahl to SBI right down to the tiniest blog – perhaps it is adult literacy classes you should be seeking out.
I never thought Bob should have been fired. He took us farther than any coach including Arena. Yes, Arena went one round deeper in the WC but the following cup he was outed in the first round. So to me we regressed. There was no building on earlier success.
Bradley took us to the Confedarations cup final. Which we should have won. Bob never go a chance for a second World Cup.
When JK came I supported him. What choice did we have? But one cup in with many questionable selections and tactics, I horrid Gold Cup and now not his loss to Mexico and where’s the accountability. 6 of our starters last night were over 30. That’s not the attacking attractive new mentality he promised? Where are the 19-20 year old breakthroughs like when LD DB and Onyewu came through?
Our U23s have failed to qualify last time and r about to fail again.
Sunil should fire JK. If JK holds his players to a higher standard, Sunil has to hold JK to the same.
But since Sunil is too busy to show up for his congressional hearing, he’s probably too busy to manage US Soccer.
I’m of the mind that no coach probably should have the team for a second cycle. Arena was probably our best coach, and he had a terrible second World Cup.
I might have to agree. Anyone know if any WC team has done better in their second consecutive WC with the same coach?
“…Coming back twice against Mexico and playing openly is impressive, but it was not enough, unfortunately.”
Did we play openly? maybe the last 5 minutes. This guy is delusional.
NO!!! You are delusional!!!!
So… playing openly with 25% possession – what doesn’t fit here?
US held approx 35%-40% of possession through-out. Oficially on ESPN overall possession was 63%-37% in favor of Mexico.
First half was 54%-46% in favor of Mexico.
Here is ESPNs take on the stats:
http://www.espnfc.us/gamecast/statistics/id/433566/statistics.html
Wow, Robbo. Try decaf next time.
Phil – What did JK have for lunch today? Smell any corn up there?
you win the award for most assuming and random response ever. Phil is supposedly a brown-noser because he told some one to calm down??… where is the correlation….
Not really interested in your capricious “awards” – how silly of you to think anyone cares about your statements
nothing mentioned in your statement detracts from the accuracy of mine…
Robbo your awesome. Maybe if more American fans shared your passion for this sport there would be more pressure on the American Coach and we wouldn’t be in this mess. I mean really renewing the guys contract for another term before he even finished his first World Cup is a move that screams fanboy. Who does that? Also to give someone the position of Nat Coach and also Technical director and nobody opposed this. No checks and balances!!! Only in America does this fly i guess cause nobody cares about the sport except a few hardcore fans like Robbo and a bunch of casual once in a while watchers who are easily fooled by anything European. If Suni wasn’t busy ass grabbin with Jk there might be some accountability. I just wonder who jerks who of when these to ass clowns meet. Maybe both at the same time???
JK, you need to apologize for your inability to impact this Team. You suck as a Coach and overwhelmed. Do us a favor and resign. We are tired of you bs. One cannot equate good with the job you are doing. We know your arrogant German ass has this superiority mentality but you are clueless and need to walk. Hey, take Sunil with your punk ass. I don’t hate you, just the awful job you’re doing with my adopted Country’s Team.
I lost a friend of 40 years last month, but it is so relevant to this conversation. “Detti” Dettmar Cramer was a German and the USMNT coach, in 1974 when I met him as I was riding my bike through El Segundo and I came upon him riding his bike. After introductions, I mentioned I played soccer too. So we stopped at a small restaurant and had a cup of coffee. He was looking for a training ground for a camp he wanted to have and I gave him my number and said I knew the facilities director at El Camino College in Torrance, Ca and it worked out. We had many conversations during his (short) time here, but we became pretty good friends and joined some of my team mates in some long rides around the beach areas. Detti Cramer coached only two games, both losses, but after being here only 6 months, the Bundesliga snatched him up in early ’75. He took over Bayern Munich and lead them to the European Champions Cup (the then Champions League) that year and the next as well as the World Club Cup. He was influential in bringing back Franz Beckenbauer after he was kicked of the team for an affair and a child out of wedlock.. He also advised Beckenbauer a few years later to join the Cosmos. Detti loved America and especially the Old West and I once brought him an authentic 150 yo Apache Indian Headdress (illegal now to purchase or sell in the US ) his wife told me he even took down one of his football trophies to put it in his trophy case. He owned a old west Remington sculpture given to him by Bayern Munich and probably worth several hundred thousand by now. We corresponded a lot and I visited him in 1982 when he coached his last Bundesliga team, Bayer Leverkusen, where he showed me around the training grounds and I took in a Leverkusen match later that week. We last met at the 2006 WC and he had been always impressed with Bruce Arena, calling him a very good coach and were robbed (an expression given by many German coaches I met) in 2002 in the US-Germany game. In 2006, he said the US team was “distracted and not focused, and didn’t have the resiliency to overcome the loss to the Czech Republic.But he commented that the US had many players of good quality, and were maybe three players shy of making it to the semi’s which meant “anything could happen then”
And finally the year Klinsmann was hired, I asked him how good a coach he was. Detti said that Klinsmann had several ‘nicknames” among his detractors on the German Team and at Bayern Munich he was called “der Anfeuerer” and less complimentary “die Zecke” or even “boyscout” or Der Besserwisser” He did tell me that Low was the true coach behind the German 3rd place and most coaches knew that, but he was popular enough. He also stated that he was found out as being mediocre at Bayern Munich when a revolt by the players over his tactic, formations and personnel, he played favorites (sound familiar) and punished those who spoke up. In European football you can do anything you want, just win, when it became clear that BM were not progressing and would not win the League, he was let go. Detti told me that the Bundesliga is very insular and rumors go around fast and blackballing is common (it happened to him) and Klinsmann could not get another gig in Germany.
But to be fair, he also told me that Klinsmann needs a chance and from one coach to another, he wished him well.
But right after the WC, he asked me why we hadn’t fired him by now.
Sadly my friend Detti Cramer passed last month at age 90 in Bavaria.
But for almost 40 years he gave me an unrivaled insight into coaching and most of all a great hope for the future of US football, as he believed too.
Beautiul.
Really beautiful.
Deep insight.
Truth.
PS – What happened to Bertie Vogts? I thought he was going to be the behind the scenes, advisory tactical genius to Klinsmann’s yoga-Zen-guru motivational genius, our “von Steuben.” Where is he now?
Aha! That’s actually BV, walking down the tunnel next to Klinsmann.
Berti has been with them all year. He’s been on the bench every game. Don’t know if he’s been in camp with them the entire time.
Did we win over the pro Mexican crowd as hoped, Jurgen? Or did we miss that chance as well?
Comment of the year on SBI.
This is the second time I have read a long post from you where you name dropped some famous soccer figure, claiming to be on close terms. It might be believable except that you go and write things like the US has the talent to win the World Cup, as you did yesterday. Anybody who knows anything knows that is complete and utter crap. And your comments about your friend all sound very good until you write that after the 2014 WC he wondered why Klinsmann hadn’t been fired yet. This implies that he thought the US should have done better in the WC. Can you find any serious analyst of the game who thinks that? Both Lalas and Twellman famously predicted the US would not get out of their group. The only way we could have done better in the group was if we had beaten Germany, the best team in the world. You have to be smoking some serious sheet to believe that is likely or even possible. And who seriously believes that the US team was or is better than Belgium? You have to be demented to think that. So, your stories sound good, but have these fatal flaws. I find it hard to give you any credibility when you have things like that in your posts.
Gary, all Tim Howard had to do was to make half as many saves against Belgium as he did, and we’d all be talking about Klinsmann as the former coach of the USMNT.
My comment refers to the story I told Detti several years ago and it involved Luther Osiander, a German coach who at one time coached the USMNT, and later the LA Galaxy. In 1992 the US, qualified for the ’92 Barcelona Olympics. On the team was a precocious, but very talented forward called Steve Snow, who scored most of the goals for the US in the run-up to the Olympics. In the groups stage, Osiander sat out Snow, calling him a “twerp”, the US los Alan rothenburgt to Italy, 4-0 and under pressure from the players and USSF, played Snow in the last two games, winning one, tying one, but eliminating the US from the Games. Alan Rotheburg President of the USSF, and trying to put together a team for the 94 WC in the US was furious and FIRED Osiander on the spot. although Curt Onalfo, current coach of Los Dos and captain of the Olympic team said it could have been later, but was chewed out in front of his players. Som say that rothenburg vowed never to hire a German coach again.
Detti thought if was funny that the USSF had a president who had the balls to fire Osiander for sitting a player.He was of the opinion shared here that German coaches had a sort of arrogance that required fealty on blind obedience to the coach. a philosophy that the is an anathema to the US player psyche.
When Klinsmann sat the best player the US ever had on the sidelines and off the US WC team, It was a natural comment that Detti made.
End of story
Dont you feel bad now?
The above comment was made in case the one above it. which still says “awaiting moderation” may have been omitted, if not, read the fist one, less typos.
Great insightful story @bttlcaps into the plain arrogance and stupidity behind the scenes drama that jurgen brings to teams he coaches, I’ve heard several stories at what happens behind the scenes and how he’s a diva and picks favorites over people who are more deserving ala Donovan last world cup, Benny Feilhaber all this mls season and Cameron Besler tandem this last gold cup because they bashed the coach and all bumped heads with him, so they started getting snubbed, it seems he can be the only head strong personality no one can question him.
… We are going through the Bayern Blues … Lahm was right … all smoke and mirrors and deflection. For those of you with historical perspective, I feel like I’m in the presence of sergeant schultz whenever he opens him mouth.
How can the National Team Coach show no allegiance to the domestic leagues, NOR domestic players? Are WE to be Germany light while he persist?
WE ARE REGRESSING AS A FOOTBALLING NATION, Sunil … !!!
Aaahhhwwww….. You see, the poor guy is just trying to do his job so what if he sucks at it.
Why is he always talking about swallowing pills?
Should of took the blue pill
Am I taking crazy pills? Is this guy still in charge of EVERYTHING regarding boys and mens soccer in this country??????
LOL classic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilcRS5eUpwk