Klinsmann Agrees to Four
Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach of the United States men's national soccer team, agreed to a four-year contract extension Thursday, a strong show of support from U.S. Soccer only months before the World Cup in Brazil.
The deal means he will remain in charge of the team through the 2018 World Cup in Russia. As part of the deal, he added the title of technical director for U.S. Soccer, a role that will give him broad oversight over national team programs, player development, coaching and grass-roots soccer.
'I am very fortunate to continue the work we started more than two and half years ago,' Klinsmann said in a statement released by U.S. Soccer. 'It's exciting to see the progress we have made, and we continue to make improvements on all fronts.'
While the discussions about the new contract no doubt preceded last week's World Cup draw, the timing of the announcement was surprising. The Americans last week were drawn into a daunting first-round group at next year's World Cup in Brazil with Ghana, Portugal and Germany. A disappointing showing in Brazil could leave Klinsmann and U.S. Soccer in an awkward position, especially if the team plays poorly.
But the president of U.S. Soccer, Sunil Gulati, who courted Klinsmann for years before hiring him two years ago, emphasized the long view. Klinsmann is 27-10-7 since replacing Bob Bradley in July 2011, a tenure that has included milestone wins at Italy and Mexico - its first on Mexican soil - and at home against Germany.
The United States won a team-record 16 games in 2013, including 12 in a row, another team record, from June through August. The team captured its regional championship, the Gold Cup, for the fifth time and finished first in its World Cup qualifying group. Klinsmann's winning percentage (69.3) is higher than that of any of his recent predecessors, all of whom also qualified teams for the World Cup.
'One of the reasons we hired Jurgen as our head coach was to advance the program forward, and we've seen the initial stages of that happening on the field and also off the field in various areas,' Gulati said in the statement. 'In the past two years he has built a strong foundation from the senior team down to the youth teams, and we want to continue to build upon that success.'
The role of technical director could be the most important part of the deal, since it will allow Klinsmann to influence development and coaching at all levels of American soccer. It is a role he has long coveted, and one he called 'a huge opportunity.'
'These are fascinating topics and I am excited to work with so many talented people and hear fresh ideas,' he said. 'For sure it means more work, but also many more fulfilling opportunities.'
Klinsmann's first task will be preparing the Americans for the World Cup. The team will gather for a weeklong training camp in California in January, then travel to Brazil for two more weeks of camp at its planned World Cup base in São Paulo.
U.S. Soccer has scheduled a friendly against South Korea on Feb. 1 in Carson, Calif., and the team is expected to play another in Europe in March. At least two more games are expected before the team departs for the World Cup - The Guardian reported last week that the Americans would face England in Miami in May - and its opener against Ghana on June 16. Its first-round draw also set up matches against Portugal (June 22 in Manaus) and Germany (June 26 in Recife).
Post a Comment for "Klinsmann Agrees to Four"