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Jurgen Klinsmann reiterates backing of MLS

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Throughout his tenure as head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann has been painted as an adversary of MLS, but the U.S. Men’s National Team head coach insists that the label couldn’t be further from the truth.

Most recently, the USMNT boss was publicly chastised by Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, who accused Klinsmann of ignoring the league’s top players. The same point was hammered home by Benny Feilhaber, who pointed to several domestic players among those Klinsmann has shied away from in recent years.

Speaking to Goal USA, Klinsmann, who says he has since had a positive conversation with the Timbers owner, says that it is “sad” that many believe that he is against MLS in any way. Rather, Klinsmann says that he is merely pushing players to reach their potential, whether it is in MLS or otherwise.

“There’s a misconception, and that’s just not right,” Klinsmann said. “Our consistent message is that we try to get the players to their personal highest level. That phrase is a broken record. If you ask me, ‘Should Michael [Bradley] play for Manchester United,’ I’ll say yes, and I don’t think anybody here would argue.

“I want them to know to chase your highest possible level. This is always a consistent message. If your highest consistent level is MLS, I’m thrilled. I’m going to be there for you 24/7 to help you. Jordan (Morris) is maybe a good example. I said, ‘No matter what you decide, we are here to help you with every step. Obviously, you have to be the driver, you are your own boss, but every decision is fine.

“Why did I take 13 players from MLS to Brazil?” he added. “Why did I come in almost four years ago saying everyone is on the same page, no matter if you’re playing in Europe or Mexico or MLS? All of the players suddenly got the same messages, no matter where you’re from. I brought players back in that haven’t been in for a long time, and we continue to give that message.”

The case of Morris has proven to be the most recent one held against Klinsmann. Morris, who was signed by the Seattle Sounders on Thursday, recently participated in a trial with Werder Bremen under the recommendation of Klinsmann.

With Morris’ decision now made to join his hometown club over the Bundesliga side, Klinsmann said he couldn’t be happier with Morris’ choice. As a player, Klinsmann says he himself was tasked with the chance to move abroad early, but is glad he took the chance to mature before making the leap.

The U.S. Men’s National Team head coach is proud of Morris for realizing the same and taking a step that seems to be the right one for his professional career.

“It hurts when people say I want every kid to go to Europe, because every kid is so different,” Klinsmann said. “If Jordan makes the decision to go to Bremen and he doesn’t feel ready for it, he will fall under the table three months from now. Whose benefit is that? Nobody’s. The kid is burned and maybe doesn’t even find his way back up anymore.”

“It’s wrong that people think I push a player either way,” he continued. “That’s when people don’t really see our work and how we work. We haven’t yet done a good enough job to explain all the time what the national team is about and what our work is and how we deal with players on all sorts of ends, meaning players from Mexico, the U.S., Europe or whatever.”

As national team head coach, Klinsmann is the first to admit that his relationship with MLS is one that is hard to navigate at certain points. At the end of the day, his priority remains the USMNT, which, at times, may conflict with the goals and aspirations of the domestic league.

But for the long haul, Klinsmann admits that the development of MLS is crucial for the growth of soccer in the U.S., growth that he hopes to be a part of in whatever way he can.

“We are the biggest fans of MLS because of the growth of the game here,” Klinsmann said. “I’m probably the biggest sales rep of MLS in Europe because I’m talking nonstop to coaches, to people, to fans, to journalists. With endless interviews that I do now, the comments that I make are for the development of MLS in Europe.

“I want this league where I live to grow on a tremendous speed with beautiful facilities now all over the place and tremendous owners.”

Comments

  1. Hang in there Soccer Kyle. Just 2 more years before this clown leaves and hopefully we’ll get a good coach with a lot of experience even if no big name instead of the opposite we have now. All flash and no etc.. .

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    • WE NEED CALEB PORTER, SIGI SCHMID, OR JOSE MOURINHO. ANY OF THOSE GUYS WOULD DO WAY BETTER THAN THAT KRAUT, THEY ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO WIN!

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  2. WHO DOES THIS KRAUT THINK HE IS? HE SHOWS CLEAR BIAS TOWARDS EUROPEAN-BASED PLAYERS AND DUAL-NATIONALS. HE WOULD RATHER CALL UP SOME BENCH PLAYER IN THE SECOND BUNDESLIGA THAT HAS NEVER LIVED IN THE US THAN AN MLS STAR. THERE IS ONE PLAYER THAT REPRESENTS THE MLS AND HE IS LANDON DONOVAN AND THAT KRAUT KLINSMANN RUINED EVERYTHING. 2014 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS TOURNAMENT AND HERR KLINSMANN WAS JEALOUS OF DONOVAN HAVING ALL OF THE ATTENTION SO HE CUT HIM. HE IS ON SUCH A BIG EGO TRIP THAT HE DOESN’T WANT ANY REAL AMERICAN PLAYERS BECAUSE EUROPEANS CAN’T FATHOM US BEING GOOD AT SOCCER. THEY DON’T WANT THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. LANDON WOULD HAVE LED US TO AT LEAST THE SEMI-FINALS AND KLINSMANN RUINED EVERYTHING. WE’LL NEVER GET TO SEE DONOVAN PLAY FOR US AGAIN THANKS TO THAT JEALOUS KRAUT. FIRE KLINSMANN!!!!!!!!!

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  3. The next step for MLS is to just stop being so needy and sensitive. You don’t have to ask Lampard and Gerrard after every match what they think of the league and where it measures up. You don’t have to take the fact that Klinsmann doesn’t call in every MLS player as a slight. Just keep growing and trying to progress.

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  4. So let me see if I got this straight,…the guy takes Beckerman, Wondo, Gonzalez, Zusi, Yedlin, Rimando, Beasley, Besler, Dempsey, Davis,…not to mention the players on the roster who started in MLS,…and people think he is anti-MLS?

    If he is anti-MLS,…how do you explain the faith he showed in Beckerman, Gonzalez, Besler, Dempsey, Zusi and Yedlin in Brazil?

    For what it is worth,…I am all for MLS drawing the line in the sand and doing everything possible to retain talent,…but the fact of the matter is that the EPL, Bundesliga and La Liga are all far superior leagues to MLS,…and there is no shame in that. Klinsman himself moved from the Bundesliga to Serie A to improve!

    The guy has a strong personality and seems to quirky,…but to say he is anti-MLS after Brazil ’14 is foolish. For God’s sake he brought on Wondo against Belgium!!!

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    • Netherlands, they’ve been runner up the most and the only non winner to make a final since Czechoslovakia in 1962 and they’re now two countries. If you are talking 2018 Belgium, Chile, or Columbia, but the South Americans had a better chance on their home continent last time.

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  5. Feilhaber’s comments were NOT that Klinsy is anti-MLS, but that he is anti certain players that could be helping the team. Others may be suggesting Klinsy is anti-MLS, but Klinsy is not answering Feilhaber’s objections here at all.

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    • That was in the other article when he addressed Benny specifically, these was more to do with the Morris signing not Benny SBI just re-packaged the Benny angle.

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  6. Just what I thought, no communication. MLS owners overeacting to a quote or sound byte or tweet without any contextual understanding. This is something Merritt Paulson does regularly. Paulson’s take was ridiculous… when you consider Nagbe had just been called in by JK. MLS has to get over its inferiority complex, this odd thing where it wants nothing and everything. And the future of USMNT is forever mediocre – regardless of coach – if everytime a player merely trials overseas the MLS brass act butthurt. JK detractors, MLS owners included, will also have to someday admit their obsessive criticism is really all just about Donovan being cut. At some point it’s all just the fallacy of comfirmation bias.

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  7. Im sorry but I dont really believe this. There have been too many times hes encouraged young MLS players to venture to Europe where most have mixed success. Now all of a sudden.. JK is this big MLS fan? “I want them to know to chase your highest possible level. This is always a consistent message. If your highest consistent level is MLS, I’m thrilled.” This is basically a left-handed complement and means if this is all you can do then do it. But for those I think have more skill… move on.

    I think his new, surface attitude has a lot to do with his little chat with Garber and Sunil then any belief that MLS is good for top players he has

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  8. I care about on-field results. All this back office politicking is for the rumor mongers. The results on the field have not been good recently when it counts. Done, end-of-story…

    Kilnsmann is not the answer in my opinion. It is a rare circumstance where I feel that a national team coach should work 2 cycles. We made that mistake with Bruce, and now with Klinsmann. They should get one cycle, one World Cup, and then move on. The next year or two will be a disaster.

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  9. “It’s wrong that people think I push a player either way,” he continued. “That’s when people don’t really see our work and how we work. We haven’t yet done a good enough job to explain all the time what the national team is about and what our work is and how we deal with players on all sorts of ends, meaning players from Mexico, the U.S., Europe or whatever.”

    This part up hear is so important. At the end of the day, no matter what end of the spectrum you are on, we don’t know the whole story, and we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes. We see a tiny fraction of what goes on in a national team, and are restricted to making grandiose opinions based on 90 minute segments, 6-8 times a year.

    Lets keep this in mind.

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    • I thought the Dempsey interview this week was important to see. A lot of people had written it in stone that Dempsey was done and had been blacklisted do to all sorts of rumors and conspiracy, yet Clint just said, “I said no I need more time to recover from last season.” Of course the conspiracy theorist will just come up with a new conspiracy that Dempsey is covering for.

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  10. SBI,
    Thank you for keeping things interesting, updating us constantly and trying to answer the questions must of us have using comments (and sources) from coaches and players alike.
    As much as I dislike Klinsmann’s coaching abilities and player selections, it’s nice to know that comments and criticism from players or coaches get to him and it’s nice to hear why he’s doing what he is doing. Also it’s good to know that at least HE FEELS like he is doing his best. The more information you provided on a topic of controversy the better the understanding is in areas of argument. You have really stepped in up – thanks you

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    • Why on earth would he not try to do his best? That would be utterly senseless, to intentionally choose bad players, ignore great ones, and sabotage the growing domestic league. Is that really what you all think, or previously thought, that he is purposely damaging our program?

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  11. If only we had some investigative journalists who would look into what kickbacks Jurgen and Andy are getting for sending our top young prospects over to Germany.

    Question: do the guys in charge of the German youth set up encourage their top prospects to trial with Barcelona?

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    • lol if they could they would! someone in US Soccer set up a trial with Bundesliga teams for our youth national team players and you are complaining about it?!?! Like this is some kind of sneaky crime?!?

      years ago we dreamed about this kind of situation!

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      • Fortress America. Nobody can leave. And anyone who does or suggests it, well, he must be evil and just like Chuck Blazer.

    • Yes, yes they do. As does everyone, you don’t think Brazil is trying to send their young stars to Europe, how many Mexican nationals play in Europe, Japan isn’t encouraging their youngsters to play in the J-League.

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  12. Your words say one thing and your actions another. When will we be rid of this guy who is only competent at selling snake oil.

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    • I’m fatigued.

      There was a long dry spell of good USMNT/MLS stories, then all of a sudden a flash flood and I once again failed to moderate my urge to comment binge.

      I don’t even have a dog in this fight anyway. JK’s comments were reasonable, and even saying that Bradley should play for MU is innocuous.

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      • Unfortunately, that’s pretty common with most SBI stories (and I don’t say that to be rude). They overload on the same story, written by one or two writers, for five or six posts within a 24 hour period.

        I don’t know if they get paid or credit for their own posts counts but it usually kills any fluidity to discussion because it fractures it entirely.

        …plus, it’s just kind of annoying, but I understand why they do it. The cost of free really isn’t ever free.

      • I love the WordPress notification system, but I wish I could actually reply to you instead of myself. This system makes it difficult to have a conversation, especially when there are a lot of comments and you’re forced to reply at the bottom of the page.
        It’s not SBI’s fault; I definitely understand the value that WordPress offers and not much else is qualitatively better.

        I’d write to WordPress about my opinions, but they’d probably just ask if I’ve ever managed an internet hosting service. 😉

      • I would also like to see a time stamp on there as well as the date stamp – can you include that in your email as well?

        I’d do it, but I’m just not motivated enough…

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