And my question is, does it really matter? First of all, Klinsmann led Germany to 3rd place in the 2006 World Cup, but obviously that was with, shall we say, a different talent pool then what he will have here. After the WC he was at Bayern for less than a full season. Hence, he has just three years as a head coach -- at the highest level, yes, but this isn't like hiring Pep Guardiola or Sir Alex.
Plus, US soccer fans keep blathering on about the fact that the USA has been put out of the last two WCs by the likes of Ghana. Well, that's because Ghana had better players than we do. They were faster, more athletic, more skilled players. We put out people like Landon Donovan and hype the hell out of him, as if he is Diego Forlan or Xavi. Not! Good player yes - greatness? Nope. We aren't there yet with our player development.
Is Klinsmann the kind who can change the management of our player development? Only if Sunil Gulati lets him do it. If you bring in a guy like this -- Alexi Lalas calls him a "rock star" -- then you give him full authority to make whatever systemic changes he needs to make. You let him choose the U-20 and U-18 coaches, let him bring in his own staff, let him set the standards for the whole system. This is about a lot more than the US NT. This is about the continued development of the game, and whether or not the USA can reach the upper tier of the sport. You can't hire a guy like this without giving him the means and the authority to get the job done. Can the bureaucrats at US Soccer check their egos at the door and let it happen? I am not hopeful.
My fear is that the expectations of the fans will go through the roof. Hence, he will be our coach at least through the next WC in 2014 but if he does anything less than make the Elite 8 in that tournament, the fans will turn on him and he'll be gone.
This post was edited on 7/29 10:18 PM by Fekula
Plus, US soccer fans keep blathering on about the fact that the USA has been put out of the last two WCs by the likes of Ghana. Well, that's because Ghana had better players than we do. They were faster, more athletic, more skilled players. We put out people like Landon Donovan and hype the hell out of him, as if he is Diego Forlan or Xavi. Not! Good player yes - greatness? Nope. We aren't there yet with our player development.
Is Klinsmann the kind who can change the management of our player development? Only if Sunil Gulati lets him do it. If you bring in a guy like this -- Alexi Lalas calls him a "rock star" -- then you give him full authority to make whatever systemic changes he needs to make. You let him choose the U-20 and U-18 coaches, let him bring in his own staff, let him set the standards for the whole system. This is about a lot more than the US NT. This is about the continued development of the game, and whether or not the USA can reach the upper tier of the sport. You can't hire a guy like this without giving him the means and the authority to get the job done. Can the bureaucrats at US Soccer check their egos at the door and let it happen? I am not hopeful.
My fear is that the expectations of the fans will go through the roof. Hence, he will be our coach at least through the next WC in 2014 but if he does anything less than make the Elite 8 in that tournament, the fans will turn on him and he'll be gone.
This post was edited on 7/29 10:18 PM by Fekula
