Klinsmann withdraws candidacy as U.S. coach http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=394971&cc=5901 Bad news for those of us that wanted him as a coach. Unless it's just posturing by him.
CRAP! Hopefully they don't revisit Pekerman. I'm not sure who else might be on their radar. It's got to be someone that give this program even a modicum of credibility.
Yeah, this is terrible news. CNNSI is reporting that Bob Bradley will get the job, at least on an interim basis. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/soccer/12/07/klinsmann.us/index.html
I think the best case scenario at this point is to give Bradley the job for now, then throw a ton of money as Hiddink after Euro 2008.
The hiring of Bradley makes the news more awful. I honestly don't believe that Gulati knows what he is doing when it comes to filling this position. What does he want...A babysitter for Landon Donovan or someone that can seriously take control of the program and get it to the next level? To me, he wants someone to breast feed Landon. G-d forbid he hires someone that, like Arena, has a mind of his own and a real vision of where this program can go. Yes, I'm pissed.
I agree, it seems like Sunil wants a yes man who will do whatever he says. Klinnsman has experience working in one of the top teams in the world and would know how to run things. What's worse is we've jacked around for 6 months and have nothing to show for it with games coming up in just over a month.
We're also talking about the head of US Soccer who's own soccer expierence is being a fan when he was young and coaching some youth teams. Oh yeah...this is the guy who should be in charge of hiring the coach of the national team. The players are getting more and more pissed because they feel like USSF has screwed them out of potential paydays with friendlies since the WC. Now, they miss out on a coach who really could have done something special. S***, they might as well have brought Steve Sampson back. I'm sure he's got nothing better to do.
Well, it sure as hell isn't about doing what's best for the program and for soccer as a whole in this country. Waiting for Gus Hiddink? By then, qualifying is nearly over. That is too late, IMO. A proper coach needs to be installed now. Bob Bradley might be a fine soccer mind, but he is nothing short of a step backwards from where this team needs to be heading. Gulati should be fired as he clearly does not have the best interests of the MNT and US Soccer in mind. I seem to be getting more and more angry about this every minute I think about it
Euro 2008 will be over at the end of June 2008. The US didn't play they're first qualifying match until June 13, 2004, a two game playoff against mighty Grenada. The first real round of qualifying didn't begin until mid-August. So waiting on Hiddink isn't the end of the world, he's be there throughout qualifying. I prefer that option to anything else I can think of at the moment. Please, no Pekerman.
You're right on the dates. For some reason, I was thinking 2009. I still think it's better to have someone in now. I know the options aren't great right now and patience might be the key. There's no telling who becomes available in the next year or so. I just hope they seriously don't settle with Bob Bradley.
From ussoccer.com [rquoter] Gulati to Make Important Announcement Regarding Head Coach CHICAGO (Dec. 7, 2006) - U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati will conduct a media conference call on Friday to make an important announcement regarding the U.S. Men’s National Team’s search for a new head coach. Log on to ussoccer.com on Friday afternoon for exclusive coverage of the conference call, including an audio podcast of the event and a detailed quote sheet. [/rquoter] I have my money on "KLINSMANN said no, everyone! " But I already know what it is... the Chivas coach... interim... http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=394971&cc=5901 SPLASH
[rquoter]Updated: Dec. 7, 2006 Klinsmann withdraws candidacy as U.S. coach Allen Hopkins After months of speculation culminating in an intense final round of back-and-forth negotiations and erroneous reports, Juergen Klinsmann has withdrawn his name from consideration to become the next U.S. men's national team coach. Klinsmann, in a statement sent to ESPN, said: "Sunil [Gulati] and I have concluded our discussions about the U.S. men's national team program, and I have withdrawn my name from consideration as coach. I'm not going to go into details about our conversations. But, I certainly want to wish the next coach of the U.S. men's national team much success, and I want to, also, thank Sunil for the opportunity to exchange ideas." Despite heavy criticism for everything from his choice of goalkeepers to his permanent California residence, Klinsmann, in his first ever head coaching job, led the German national team to a highly unexpected third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup. Although soccer's most important and influential movers and shakers applied serious pressure on newly elected U.S. soccer president Sunil Gulati and U.S. soccer to hire Klinsmann, talks concluded late Wednesday evening without an agreement. Klinsmann would've brought instant and unprecedented credibility to U.S. Soccer at a critical time for U.S. soccer. Although 2002 was remarkable, the reality is U.S. soccer has sandwiched one great World Cup in between two very disappointing ones in 1998 and 2006. As a player, Klinsmann's resume and highlights would've been unlike anything ever associated with U.S. Soccer. The former German captain scored 47 goals in 108 caps for the German national team leading them to the 1990 World Cup and Euro '96 titles. Klinsmann was twice German Footballer of the Year in 1988 and 1994. In 1995, in his first season in English soccer after his famous move to Tottenham he won the English Footballer of the Year award. Klinsmann was a top 10 World Footballer of the Year four times and is a member of the FIFA 'Top 100' Player List.[/rquoter] OUCH.
Official announcement from USSoccer.com naming Bradley as the interim coach. http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_281544.html
Gulati Mismanaged Hiring Process With the news that Bob Bradley has been named as the next head coach of the U.S. men's national team, I can conclude the following: This is a terrible development for both American soccer in general and U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati in particular. L.A. Galaxy coach Frank Yallop would have been a better choice. This is in no way meant to be a knock on the coaching abilities of Bradley. Although his track record as a head coach in MLS has been mixed, it has had its share of successes, and among the pool of American coaches, he always has been one of the brighter lights. But to go from thinking that former German boss Juergen Klinsmann was going to take over to realizing that Bradley will assume the post -- on a temporary basis, no less -- amounts to a buzzkill of colossal proportions. It's like going to a concert expecting to see Luciano Pavarotti, only to watch Clay Aiken turn up instead. Both guys can sing, but given the choice, whom would you rather listen to? It begs the question of why Gulati parted ways with former head coach Bruce Arena in the first place. My assumption -- and I don't think I was alone in thinking this -- was that Gulati would attempt to distance himself as much as possible from the Arena Era by hiring a big name, one who not only would present a kinder, gentler face to the public but who possessed a considerably richer coaching pedigree. Klinsmann certainly fit the bill, and although he would have inherited the same players Arena had, the possibility existed that he could have led them to better things. Instead, in Bradley, the U.S. is left with a coach who, despite his many talents, is a former assistant of Arena's and probably will squeeze no more out of his charges than his ex-boss did. This is not progress. I also question whether this saga is less about ability and more about controlling the areas of player development that are under the USSF's purview. I'm guessing both Arena and Klinsmann wanted more say over things than Gulati was willing to tolerate. Bradley, it would seem, had no such demands. I suppose on the one hand, Gulati could be praised for his patience and that he could be merely biding his time until his ideal candidate becomes available. But from what I can gather, the good folks at the USSF are no closer to finding that person than when they parted ways with Arena five months ago. This can only lead me to determine that the entire process has been completely mismanaged by Gulati. Remember all the big names that supposedly were interested in the U.S. job? Former Argentina coach Jose Pekerman, ex-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and current Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz were just a few of the names on the list. It now looks as though Gulati used these coaches as a means of convincing Klinsmann that there was competition for the job when none existed. Once Klinsmann called Gulati's bluff, the USSF president was left drawing dead. And when Gulati was left trying to pick up the pieces, he couldn't even attract the coach who in my opinion would have been the next best option, that being the L.A. Galaxy's Frank Yallop. Here you have a guy who played at the top level in England and played in MLS and has won championships as a head coach. Yallop also has the valuable experience of already coaching in one World Cup qualifying cycle with Canada. That it ended badly is more an indication of Canada's limited resources (and an insanely tough draw) than any shortcomings Yallop might have. And Yallop would be able to look players in the eye and tell them, "This is what it's like playing in Costa Rica" -- something few other coaches in MLS can do. Then again, I'd wager that if Yallop had been offered the job on a limited basis as Bradley has, he would have said, "Thanks, but no." At the least, the current arrangement appears to place Bradley in an impossible situation. How much of an impact will the former Chivas USA coach be able to have if every single player knows Bradley could be gone by next summer? And for those who would think time is on the federation's side, think again. Remember how quickly Arena changed things around in his first year in charge, reinvigorating the team after the debacle of the 1998 World Cup? It was a period that saw the U.S. finish third at the 1999 Confederations Cup and score two victories over Germany. The momentum generated helped give the team a massive dose of confidence and set the stage for a successful World Cup qualification over the next two years. With the Americans' participation in the Copa America this summer, the stage appeared to be set for a similar opportunity. But given the rampant uncertainty surrounding the team's future coach, that chance has been compromised. And if a new manager is hired some time next summer, then a year basically will have been wasted. You can bet that other nations, both in CONCACAF and elsewhere, are not standing still. Of course, this is not the first time an interim coach has had such an opening. Steve Sampson assumed the reins of the U.S. team in 1995 on what was presumed to be a temporary basis. He then used a successful Copa America run to secure the post permanently. Now, I believe Bradley is 10 times the coach Sampson is, and I think they have little in common. Yet I'm sure Bradley would be more than willing to see history repeat itself. Will it? One can always dream, but I wouldn't bet on it. Back in 1998, the appointment of Arena struck me as a step in the right direction. With the selection of Bradley eight years later, that is definitely not the case. Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com. I couldn't have said it better.
Son of a biatch! Just saw the news on ESPN.com There a video of Bob Bradley on the ESPN motion video thing. DAMNIT!
This is incredibly disappointing, especially since I had been getting my hopes given all the media specualtion recently.
